Beating the Odds
by LilyAnneMarie
Summary: He grabbed both of my hands. "We're doing this together." "Together," I agreed. We weren't sure where we were going or if we would be okay, but we had each other. And we were doing this together. A Jacob/Nessie Fanfiction
1. Friday

"JAKE! STOP!" My friend Leah and I shouted from Jake's couch between giggles.  
"Womanizer, womanizer!" Jake, my best friend, sang along to his stereo which was on full blast.

It was moments like these Friday nights that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. My friends mean everything to me.  
Jake has been my best friend since the day I was born. He said even when my mom was pregnant, he'd always have to be near me, though at the time he thought he really needed to be by my mom.  
Leah, on the other hand, took some time to warm up to me. She hated my kind. Well, half my kind at least. Originally, she couldn't tolerate vampires. But, after a while, she learned we weren't so different. And now she's my best girl friend.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Pizza's here!" Leah squealed, jumping up and racing to the door.

"More like _pizzas_," I said. "You damn werewolves eat too much."

"And you damn bloodsuckers eat nothing," Jake said, flashing me his bright white smile.

"Hey, _half_ bloodsucker, remember?" I shot back.

"Yeah, yeah. You still eat like a bird." he muttered.

"Nessie! Jake! Stop your bickering!" Leah shouted from the kitchen where she was grabbing some napkins and sodas. "Dinner is served!" She walked in and dumped four large pizzas on the coffee table in front of us.

Dinner passed by quick enough. Leah and Jacob finished off most of the pizzas, whereas I was content to eat just one piece, though they kept trying to shove more down my throat.

A few minutes afterwards, the phone rang. Jake ran to go answer it, while Leah and I sprawled out across the couch.

"Ness!" Jake called from the kitchen. "It's for you!"

"Coming!" I yelled, and raced into the kitchen. "Hello?" I answered into the mouthpiece.

"Renesmee Cullen! Where are you?! You were supposed to be home a half an hour ago!" My mother's bell-like voice rang through the receiver.

I looked at the clock which read 9.

"Crap! Sorry mom! I lost track of time! I'm coming home right now, okay?" I tried to calm her down.

"Okay." She sighed. "Just, come back soon. Your father is not happy."

I slammed the phone back onto the hook and grabbed my raincoat.

"Time to go already?" Leah asked as I raced towards the front door.

"Yeah. My mom's freaking out." I threw on my shoes and tossed my hair over my shoulder.

"I better get going too." She said. "It's incredibly late. Jake, can you drive Nessie and me home."

"Way ahead of you!" Jake grinned, jingling his set of car keys in his hands. "Come on!"

The car ride was silent on the way to Leah's house, which was only a five minute drive. I'm not sure if we were too tired, or still in shock from Jake's Britney Spears routine.

"Don't forget," Leah called as she climbed out of the car. "Jake and I are coming over at 10 tomorrow to get ready for the wedding."

I groaned. My parents were getting married for the fourth time in the eight years of my life. "Yeah, I'll be ready."

"Why do I have to come?" Jake complained. "It's not like I'm a girl. All I need to do is shove on a suit, and I'll be fine."

"Because, you're one of us now." Leah said.

"One of you?"

"One of the girls!" She exclaimed, a huge grin crossing her face.

"Joy, joy." He muttered.

"Tell Seth I hope he feels better." I said.

"He'll be fine by tomorrow. It's just the 24 hour flu. Anyways, see you later!" And with a wave, she was gone.

Jake sped off down the road towards my house.

"You know, you're beginning to become like my dad with your driving habits." I mumbled.

"Eddie boy has taught me something? Wow. By the way, how are your driving lessons with him coming along?"

I shivered. Driving with my dad was... well... hell. Though I was technically eight, physically I was seventeen. The way I would stay frozen forever. And because of that, I was locked in a car with my father, whose philosophy is the more speed, the better. Unlike him, I was still half human, and I didn't have an internal radar device built into my mind.

Jake chuckled at my grimace. "Yeah, his driving used to scare your mom too. Well, when she was human"

I guess I should explain about how he knew my mom as a human and is still my age. You see, physically, Jake is sixteen, though he could pass off as seventeen by the looks of him. When he became a werewolf, he became immortal, frozen in his teenage state until he gives up being a werewolf, just like my vampire family, although they couldn't pick whether they wanted to be immortal or not. Same with Leah. She will always be twenty years old because she's a werewolf. My mom will always be eighteen. My dad will always be seventeen. And now that I'm full grown, I'll always be seventeen too. But it doesn't matter to me, as long as I have the people I care about most with me.

"Eww! Gross Jake!" I yelled, picking up a used tissue.

"Hey, it still has some life left in it!" He chuckled. "Save a tree!"

"Ugh!" I threw it out the window.

"Tree killer." He muttered.

"No way. In a million years, in that exact spot, there will be a tree, with your snot growing on it." I said.

He laughed. "Well, we'll be sure to come visit it in a million years, now won't we?"

I grinned. Then I noticed we were at my house.

"You know, time goes by so fast when I'm with you, and it has nothing to do with your driving. It's like I can never spend enough time with you, like for some reason, whenever we start talking, we have to go. And I know I can tell you everything. It's so easy being around you, and I don't know why." Wow, did I just say that out loud?

"I feel the same about you Ness. We've got a friendship stronger than anything in the world. But... well... there is something more there. Nobody in this world will ever love you more than I do. But... it's more than---"

"Renesmee Cullen! Where have you been?! We've been worried!" My father's voice interrupted Jake.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Relax Eddie! She's just been at my house with Leah and I! We lost track of time. I drove faster than _you _to get her home."

My father studied my face for a moment before he spoke. "Fine. But if you ever call me Eddie again, I sure as hell will break your jaw... mutt."

Jacob held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Fair enough. But in a million years, you will have a tree in your front yard, with my snot growing on it. Think of it as a present from the _mutt_." We held back laughter, as my father immediately understood our little joke.

"Ugh," He said, obviously revolted. "Nessie, go wash your hands."

I stifled a giggle and ran inside. Dad stayed behind to say something to Jake, but because of my human senses, I couldn't make out what he was saying.

"I'm home!" I shouted from the bottom of the stairs. In a moment, my entire family surrounded me.

"Hey sweetie!" My Aunt Alice said, pulling me into a hug. "How'd it go?"

"Great!" I said. "We had a lot of fun."

"I'm so excited for the wedding tomorrow!" Aunt Rosalie blurted out. "We're decorating the house tonight! It'll be beautiful, even better than their first wedding!"

"Awesome!" I smiled. "Leah and Jake are coming over tomorrow morning to get ready with me, is that okay?"

"The male pup's coming?" Uncle Emmett chuckled. "What have you two done to him? He's becoming more feminine by the second!"

"Shut up Emmett!" My mother scolded, elbowing him in the rib. "Of course it's fine."

"Well, I'm going to go get ready for bed." I excused myself. "Goodnight everyone!"

"Wait, Renesmee." My father called as I was halfway up the stairs.

_Uh oh_, I thought to myself. _He only uses my full name when I'm in trouble. What did I do now?_

I reluctantly turned around and saw Jacob and my father standing next to each other in the doorway. My mother looked at him with a nervous expression on her face. My father simply nodded.

"Y-yeah?" I asked.

"Your mother, Jacob, and I would like to speak with you." He spoke each word carefully, enunciating each syllable.

"Ok, shoot." I tried to force a smile, though I knew something was up.

"Alone." He turned to look at the six other vampires crowding the hallway.

A look of knowledge spread across Grandpa Carlisle's face. "Edward, are you sure you want to tell her now? It may be best to wait until---"

"We've kept this from her for too long." My father interupted him. "She has a right to know."

"Know what?" I asked, feeling like I was missing something. What weren't they telling me?

"Edward, I think Jacob should be the one to tell her. But right now is simply not the time." My mother said.

"Alright. Fine. We won't be the ones to tell her. But she better be told soon." My dad shot Jacob a death stare.

"She will. I-I promise." Jake stared down at the ground.

"Enough drama for tonight!" Grandma Esme interrupted. "Come on, the girl must be tired. Let her rest."

I walked slowly up the stairs and into my room, making sure to lock the door. _What do I need to know?_ I thought to myself. _Is something wrong? Are we in danger? Is the pack turning against us? That couldn't happen. We're friends with the pack._

I went through a list of things in my head. From the Volturi to imaginary monsters, I couldn't see anything that was wrong. This evening had gone just like every other Friday night. I went over, had pizza with Leah and Jake. But the rest of the pack wasn't there. Maybe they _were_ mad at us. Or mad at _me_.

"Nessie," My father's voice was at the door. "Open up."

Quietly, I walked over and unlocked the door. He was in the rocking chair in the corner of my room immediately. Damn vampire abilities. Yeah Dad, I'm talking about you. He fought back a smile on that one.

"Nessie, we're not in danger. Everything's fine." He reassured me.

"Then what's wrong?" I asked. "What did you want to tell me?"

He stared blankly out the window. "That's for Jacob to tell you. The rest of us aren't getting involved."

"You're so INFURIATING sometimes Dad!" I screamed. "It's not fair! You can read my thoughts, but I can't read yours! You have to tell me these things!"

"I'm sorry sweetie. This is one of those things that the rest of us can't get involved in. It's not up to us when to tell you, it's up to Jake."

"Just... go. Please. If you're not going to help me, I really don't need you here." I gestured towards the door.

"I-I'm sorry." He sighed. Then he walked out of the door, shutting it behind himself.

"UGH!" I screamed. "NOBODY TELLS ME A DAMN THING IN THIS HOUSE!" I threw a pillow at my door.

What had Jake been trying to say earlier? "I feel the same about you Ness. We've got a friendship stronger than anything in the world. But... well... there is something more there. Nobody in this world will ever love you more than I do. But... it's more than---"

_More than what?!_ I screamed in my head. _Why did Dad have to interrupt?!_

Why couldn't _I_ read minds? Why was I cursed with the stupidest gift out of all of us Cullens?! All I could do was press my hand to someone's head, and they could read _my_ thoughts.

I buried my face under the covers, and tried very hard to not think. After a half an hour, I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note: I know, I know. It sucks. But I promise you it will get better. Constructive critism is most _definitely_ welcome, just keep the language clean kiddies. I already have part of the second chapter written out, and I hope to finish it by tomorrow evening. ****Thanks guys :D **

**--Lauren**


	2. Should've Kept My Mouth Shut

The next morning, I awoke around 9:30. I raced to the bathroom and threw on a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail.

"Boo!" someone yelled from my doorway while I was brushing my teeth.

I screamed and threw my toothbrush at the door.

"What the hell?" It was Jake. "Eww, I have Nessie spit on me!"

I smiled and spit into the sink. "You had it coming!"

"Quit messing around," Leah said. "Let's get this torture over and done with."

"Torture for you, fun for me!" my Aunt Alice said from the doorway. She carried two large brown boxes.

"What's in there?" I asked.

"Some makeup..." she answered.

Aunt Rosalie walked in with my mom and some more boxes.

"How much makeup did you buy?" Leah asked.

"Well, I figured you would want options..."

I stumbled over and opened a box. Inside was endless cover up, lip gloss, and blush. It looked as if she had bought the whole makeup aisle.

"That's my cue to go..." Jake raced out the door.

"Fine! Leave me in my time of need!" I yelled after him.

"Torture," Leah muttered under her breath.

"You can say that again," my mom said.

"Oh, come on! The only reason it's so awful is because you're going in with bad attitudes!" Aunt Rosalie complained.

"Fine," my mom, Leah, and I sighed in unison.

"Good. Now come on, we have a lot of work to do." Aunt Alice said, pulling out two bottles of cover up.

Surprisingly, the whole procedure went by fairly quickly. We were done by 11:30. My hair hung down in its natural brown curls over my soft purple dress. I had on light purple eyeshadow, and a subtle gray eyeliner with black mascara. Leah had everything fixed the same as me, except she looked more like a supermodel than a bridesmaid. And I looked... simple. Simpler than simple. I looked plain compared to Leah. I moped down the stairs, realizing that I would never be as pretty as any of the other girls. I would always be simple little Nessie.

With a half an hour to spare, I raced to the kitchen, checking to see if there was any deer blood left in the fridge. I hadn't hunted in three days, and I was thirsty. I pulled out the dark blue pitcher and poured some into a cup.

"Whatcha drinkin'?" my Grandpa Charlie asked.

"Grandpa Charlie!" I yelled and wrapped my arms around him. I hadn't seen him in two years, when I still lived in Forks. Before I moved here to Tulgey. "Sorry, it's strictly need to know, remember?"

"Ah," he nodded. He didn't know we were vampires, but he knew there was something strange about us.

"Can I get you something?" I asked, shoving the pitcher back into the fridge.

"No thanks. So, you excited?"

"A little. Everything looks great. But it's not so much a wedding as it is renewing their vows."

"For the fourth time."

"Yeah. Wow. Four times in eight years. I hope someday I'm able to do that with my husband. Guess it comnes to show true love never dies."

Grandpa Charlie's face turned hard and he stared through the window. He strayed away from everything that had to do with romance and emotions since my Grandma Renee left him when my mom was little. My mom always said he never got over my grandmother. Watching him now, I realized it was true.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant--" I stuttered.  
"It's fine," he mumbled. "Let me tell you something Nessie. I made a stupid, wreckless decision when I was young. Teenagers just... don't usually know anything. With the exception of your parents. I don't regret it though. It's what brought me your mother. Ask Grandma Renee, and she'll say the same. It's also... what brought me you. But promise me something. Promise me you'll never do anything stupid and wreckless like I did. Go to school, get an education, and take some time before you start a family. Promise me that much."

"I... I promise." I swore.

"Well." he said. "I think I should go see if there's anything I can help with."

"Um," I said. "Okay."

I drank the blue pitcher of blood dry. Since my parents were out tonight, the rest of us Cullens were going to go hunting. We'd be okay until then.

"You look... amazing." Jake's familiar voice filled the room. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a red handkerchief hanging out of his left coat pocket.

"Aww, thanks," I said, turning to hug him. A blush colored my cheeks, but I hoped he wouldn't notice.

"So I was thinking...," he began. "Since everyone has a date besides you and me... well... I was wondering... if you'd maybe... be my date?"

My heart beat so fast I thought it was going to pop out of my chest. "Yes! A million times yes!" His lips twitched up into his perfect bright white smile.

"Well then Miss Cullen," he said, offering me his arm. "I believe we have a wedding to attend."

I giggled and hooked my arm around his. "Yes, Mr. Black, I believe we do."

"Nessie!" my mom raced into the kitchen. "Come on! It's time!"

We walked down the aisle in pairs: Aunt Alice with Uncle Jasper; Aunt Rosalie with Uncle Emmett; Leah with Seth; me with Jacob.

Everyone turned to look at my mother as she walked in. Except for me. I remember watching a movie, and the two main characters said their favorite part of the wedding was looking at the groom. I stared at my father and saw the undying love he still held for her burning in his eyes. I found myself dabbing at my eyes, where tears had formed.

The wedding passed beautifully into the reception held outside. The night was a deep purple. Figuring nobody was looking, I snuck off to go stare at the stars. They were so beautiful, so clear. You couldn't see anything like this in a city.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Jacob asked from behind me.

"Yeah," I kept my eyes fixed on the sky. "It's like you read my mind."

"Great minds think alike." he said, a slight smile playing across his features.

I smiled and turned to face him.

"So," he began. "Since you're my date, how about a dance?"

"With my two left feet, that might be a bit dangerous," I laughed.

"Oh come on," he said. "The night is still young. There will be plenty of time to break people's legs."

We both laughed, although that may be the honest truth.

"Alright," I decided. "One dance."

He held my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I wasn't sure if there was a slow song playing, but I didn't care enough to go check. I couldn't leave... this moment was so perfect, so right. It felt like I was tied to him, and if I left, I'd be lost in space. I stared deep into his dark brown eyes, as he was mine, and felt secure, like nothing could hurt me. We locked gazes for a few minutes, not caring about the party. There was this feeling I had tugging at my gut, but I couldn't place it. It was like nothing I'd ever held for anyone before. Before I could comprehend what it was, Jake did the unexpected. He leaned in and kissed me. And strangely, I didn't fight it. I embraced it.

Once we pulled away he said the unexpected.

"I love you." he whispered.

Suddenly, I could place that feeling.

I wanted to tell him he didn't, and say he was lying. But I just... couldn't. I wanted to deny that I loved him, but I couldn't lie to him. Those powerful words burst through my lips.

"I... I love you, too." I murmured, staring deep into his eyes.

A wide grin spread across his features, my favorite grin. Suddenly, I felt like eyes were boring into my back. I turned to see Leah with a huge smile across her face. Reality snapped back, and I was aware that I wasn't alone in my mind... so where was my dad?

"Aww," Leah cooed.

"Go away, Leah," Jacob warned, his gaze never leaving my face.

"Um," I said. "I'm going to go back to the party. Come on guys."

We all walked back in silence. When we entered, my dad shot daggers at me from across the yard. Uh oh.

"I'm so sorry, Nessie," Jake whispered. "I should have never---"

"Don't be!" I interrupted. "I... I kinda liked it."

"Renesmee," my dad said from my side. Damn, he was fast. "We need to talk. Privately."

Crap.


	3. Love

My father grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the front yard. Then, he flung me over his back and ran. I don't know how long he ran. I don't know how far away we were. Finally, we arrived in a clearing in the woods. His face was hard and cold as he set me down. I stumbled backwards, but eventually regained my balance.

"So...," I said conversationally. "What'd you need to---"

"Cut the crap, Nessie," he said. "You _know_ what I want to talk about."

"Daddy, it was just a kiss."

"Not _that, _though it _would_ have bothered me if I didn't hear what you said after that!"

I bit my lip. "But... but I really do---"

"You can NOT be falling in love with him!" he screamed.

"You knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Just please, don't make this harder than it has to be."

"You're too young! You don't know what you're talking about! He's sixteen years older than you!"

_That_ crossed the line. That hippocrite! A surge of power passed form the crown of my head to the bottom of my heels.

"He's too old?!" I yelled. "Really?! You were over a hundred years old when you fell in love with mom! Do _not _be giving me that crap!"

"Nessie," he whispered. "I think you need to calm down.

"CALM DOWN?!" I screamed. "_YOU'RE_ TELLING _ME_ TO CALM DOWN?! A SECOND AGO YOU WERE ABOUT READY TO RIP MY FREAKIN' HEAD OFF! YOU'RE A HIPPOCRITE! YOU DON'T CARE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW I FEEL! YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT MAKING JACOB AND I UNHAPPY! WELL, NEWS FLASH! YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FALL IN LOVE!"

He was quiet for a few minutes. I could tell my words cut him deep. I regreted saying them the moment I opened my mouth.

"I-I'm sorry." I whispered.

He said nothing and flung me over his back. We ran back to the party. Jacob was waiting for us out front. He took a cautious step towards my dad, who dumped me off his back.

"If you hurt her, I swear to God...," Jacob warned.

My dad ignored him and simply walked back to the party

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked, grabbing me by my shoulders.

"I-I'm fine." I muttered. "I just... need some time by myself."

I ran into the house and up to my room. Leah sat in the rocking chair in the corner of my room.

"Aww, sweetie," she murmured.

I dabbed at my eyes and realized there were tears trailing down my cheeks. Luckily, Aunt Alice used waterproof makeup.

Leah raced over and cradled me as I cried into her dress.

"This should have never happened," I sobbed. "What have I done? My dad hates me! My whole family's going to hate me once they find out! I should have kept my feelings to myself! I should have---"

"Shh," she whispered. "You didn't do anything wrong. Give Edward some time. He's just... upset. You're his little girl. And your family won't hate you. We all love you, Nessie."

I sat still, silent sobs crawling up my throat.

"Leah," I asked, finally.

"Yeah?"

"You should get back to the party. Someone needs to be there if my dad decides to kill Jake. Plus, the pack's going to start wondering where you went."

She nodded and walked silently out the door.

I changed into my pajamas and hugged my legs to my chest. After a few minutes, I decided I should go to bed. After many tears, I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

I don't know what time it was, but the sound of my father's familiar singing woke me up. He was singing a lullaby he and my mom used to sing to me when I was little.

"Do you ask what the birds say? The Sparrow, the Dove,  
The Linnet and Thrush say, 'I love and I love!'  
In the winter they're silent—the wind is so strong;  
What it says, I don't know, but it sings a loud song.  
But green leaves, and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,  
And singing, and loving—all come back together.  
But the Lark is so brimful of gladness and love,  
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,  
That he sings, and he sings; and for ever sings he—  
'I love my Love, and my Love loves me!'"

I listened silently as memories flooded into my head. My mother and father singing that as a duet. My father playing it on the piano. Their familiar soothing voices...

"Dad," I whispered.

"Yes?" he murmured.

"I'm sorry. I should have never said what I said earlier. It was out of line." I amended.

"No, _I'm_ sorry." he whispered. "You're my little girl. I wasn't able to let that go. I'm not going to be the one to tell your mother. You and Jake can tell them on your own time. It's not up to me."

"Thank you," I said.

He smiled and continued to sing until I fell asleep.

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry, this one is incredibly short! But I wanted to give you at least something. The song I picked is actually a poem too. But it is a song, because last year when I took choir we practiced this, and we only sang it once, but for some reason, it's been in my head all day. And I'm not even in choir anymore! Carazy! Anyway, I know, I'm cramming. But today, during social studies, while my teacher was prattling on, I had so many ideas I want to put into this story, but then I also had an idea that I thought was really cool! This all happened while I was half asleep! YEAH! Oh and thanks to my readers! I love you guys!**

**Questions to ponder:**

**1. What's your favorite girl's name? Boy?**

**2. Werewolves or vampires?**

**3. Favorite food?**

**4. Favorite store?**

**And as usual, thoughts on BTO (Hehe... I abbreviated it!)**

**Oh! Inspiration just struck! I'm going to start on chapter 4 tonight, and hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday it will be finished. I'll try to make it longer, but I have a busy weekend! Sorry!**

**I tried making a trailer, but youtube won't upload it.**


	4. Mystery

The weekend passed without a word about Jake from my father. Monday morning came before I was even ready.

"Nessie," someone whispered into my ear. Jake.

"Jake," I groaned. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to be late. Come on." He threw a pile of clothes at me.

"Late for what?" I asked, rolling onto my side.

"The first day of school, of course."

I quickly changed and scarfed down my breakfast. Afterwards, all of us Cullens (with the exception of Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme) and Jake climbed into Jake's silver minivan and drove to school. Leah was already waiting for us by the front doors by the time we arrived.

"Nessie!" Leah squealed.

I ran up and gave her a hug. Jake was right at my heels.

"Who do you guys have first hour?" she asked.

"Um," I pulled out my schedule and checked. "English with Oakman."

"Damn," she sighed. "I have Biology with Smith."

"Me too," Jake chimed in.

"Aww! You guys suck!" I complained. "Well, I better get going. I don't want to be late."

I leaned in to kiss Jake's cheek but decided against it since my family was watching. It would be too much to explain, and now wasn't the time. Embarassed, I raced down the halls.

I was checking the room numbers when I bumped into someone and my books spilled on the floor as I tripped.

"Watch where you're going," he scolded, picking up his books.

"Sorry," I said in my rudest voice possible.

I looked up to see a well-built boy with light brown hair. His eyes were an usual brown, as if it wasn't his real eye color. His skin was ivory, just like my father's. He studied me for a minute before a grimace painted his face and he took off. I gathered my books and eventually found the English room.

"Um, hi," I said, walking up to the teacher. "I'm---"

"Don't tell me!" he interrupted, holding up his hand. "You're Renesmee Cullen. Edward Cullen's cousin."

"Yes. Well, Nessie," I smiled. I hadn't gone to school since we moved here. My mom tutored me at home so we could stay in one place until I was done growing. Now that I was full grown, they decided it was time to send me off to school.

"Well, you may sit in the front seat up there, next to Miss Meyer," he gestured to a seat next to a petite girl with red hair. "I hope you enjoy your first day at Tulgey high school."

"Thanks," I said.

I grinned and set my books down in my assigned seat.

"Hi," I said, as cheery as possible. "I'm Nessie."

"I'm Stephenie," she said, grinning. "So, I hear you're Edward Cullen's cousin."

"Yup," I could tell we were going to get along.

"So, why'd you move here?" she asked. "I hear you're from Arizona or something... News travels fast in a small school." She added.

"Yeah. Well, I loved Arizona, but most of my family is up here, so I came to live with my Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme." I stated, remembering the rehearsals I'd had with my mom over our little fib.

"Wow. So, what's your family _really_ like? They always seem so shy."

"Well, they're just like every other typical family, I guess." Sure, if typical families didn't eat, had freaky powers, and thirsted for human blood. "Alice and Rosalie are obsessed with fashion. They never let me wear the same outfit twice. Emmett is incredibly competitive. He's always up for a good competition. Jasper is calmer than the rest. He has a certain... personality, that makes you feel welcome. Uncle Carlisle is always the peacemaker. And Aunt Esme is definitely the motherly type."

"What about the other two, Edward and Bella? I hear Bella Swan came to live with the Cullens here in Tulgey because she couldn't stand to be away from Edward."

"Well, yeah. They were practically made for each other, it seems."

We talked every chance we got that hour. She was a surprisingly pleasant person to chat with. English went by quickly.

I couldn't help but think about the mysterious stranger on my way to Biology. Why did he look like he wanted to kill me? I didn't _mean_ to bump into him. _Oh well_, I thought to myself. _It's not like you'll ever see him again, right?_

Wrong.

As I walked into Bio, there he was. I tried to ignore him as I walked up to the teacher to hand him my paperwork. My parents had to pull a lot of strings to get me into Advanced Biology.

"You must be Miss Cullen," he gave me a warm smile.

"Nessie," I said, handing him my paperwork.

"Yes. I'm Mr. Vicks. Uhh," he searched the room. "You can have a seat next to Mr. Mendora." He gestured to the one area I _didn't_ want to sit. The stranger looked up and glowered at me. I kept my head down as I set my books down. I could still feel his eyes on me, boring holes in my back. Ugh.

"Hello," I said. "Um, I'm Nessie."

He nodded and kept staring forward.

"Don't take this the wrong way," I began. "But... is there a reason why you're... upset with me?"

He stared at me with dark, cold eyes. I immediately regretted my words and gripped my seat for support.

"You're kind always acts the same. All nice and cheery. But I know what you _really_ are. You're no better than the rest of us." he muttered.

"Um, I'm sorry. I-I don't understand." I whispered.

"You wouldn't," he said, turning away.

I sat ramrod straight in my seat. _My kind_? What the hell was he talking about? I _had_ no kind. Not to my knowledge. What did he mean? Why did he hate me? And what the hell was his freaking name? Maybe I should just call him Person M. M for short. Yeah, M. I liked it.

The rest of the day passed in a blur as I pondered my questions about M. My family seemed to notice it in the car.

"Nessie, sweetie, what's wrong?" My mother asked.

"Uh, nothing," I shook my head. "Just, thinking over a problem from Pre-Cal today. That's all."

"With M as a variable," my dad threw in, chuckling at his own little joke.

I shot him a dirty look. He held his hands up in surrender, but I knew I would hear more of it tonight. Twenty questions. Fun.

I still wasn't sure what to tell them about Jake and I... whatever we were at this stage. Aunt Alice probably knew. I couldn't keep anything from her or my dad.

I leapt out of my seat as soon as we were home and burst through the doors. I ran to my parent's room and dug through their drawers. Bingo. I pulled out a maroon yearbook from last year and flipped through the pages. Mendora, Mendora, Mendora. Eventually, I found his picture. It was in the sophomore section. Apparently, his first name was Ethan. Hmm. No M, but I guess it will do. His picture was almost as creepy as him. He stared at the camera with a cold, dead expression on his face. No smile, not even a twitch on his lips. Next to his picture were two other boys with the same last name. Their names were Mitchell and Jared.

"Nessie," my Uncle Emmett called from my parent's doorway. I jumped at the sound of his voice, chucking the book at the dresser.

"Yes," I yelped.

"Esme has Jake and your dinner ready... what's up with you?"

"N-nothing." I stuttered.

"Why are you looking at your parent's yearbook?" He walked over and picked it up.

"Uh, no reason," I tried to grab at the yearbook.

"Wait, wait, wait. Who are you looking up?"

"Um, this girl, Stephenie. Stephenie Meyer. I met her today in English, and she seems really nice."

"Ah," he seemed to let it go... or maybe Uncle Jasper could sense what was going on. "Yeah, she always seemed incredibly... imaginative. Not in the crazy sort of way though..."

"Yup. Well, I'm hungry. I'm going to go eat."

He put the book away and followed me down the stairs. Jake was waiting at the table, silent as I walked in. I scarfed down my meal as quickly as possible and jumped up to clean the dishes, anxious to find out more about the Mendoras.

"Hey, Jake," I asked once everyone was gone.

"Yeah?" he said, with a mouthful of food.

"Have you ever heard of Ethan Mendora?"

"Who?" he looked puzzled.

"Ethan Mendora. I have to sit next to him in Bio, and he's... a creeper. Seriously. I said hi, and he didn't respond. Then, when I asked him what his issue was, he told me that... that 'my kind always acts the same.' What the hell does that mean?"

"People are weird," he said, picking up his plate and walking over to scrape it off. "I wouldn't think too much about it."

"Okay," I muttered.

But I couldn't. The mystery of the Mendoras became a case I just had to crack.

**Author's Note: Here. I'm trying to get these out as quickly as I am. Don't worry, this isn't going to... never mind. Anyhoo, next chapter Wednesday or Thursday. I'm going to start it tomorrow after school.**

**Comments and suggestions appreciated :D Although, I'm going to keep posting even if you don't LOL**

**But please, tell me what you think! I want to bend this story around what you want to see... and me. LOL**

**-Lauren**


	5. Awkward!

_"Nessie!" Jake screamed._

_I kept walking into the darkness, disregarding Jacob's screams. Something about it was so thrilling, I couldn't possibly leave it._

_"Come," a voice beckoned from within the darkness. It was the same as... Ethan Mendora. I had to go, I had to find out the mystery. I took another step forward._

_"Nessie," Jake warned. "Don't trust him. He wants to hurt you. You need to come back here."_

_Ethan stepped out of the shadows, his teeth a brilliant white, pulled up into a grin._

_"Oh," Ethan raised his eyebrows. "I think you're keeping something from her, werewolf. Something important."_

_Jacob leaped into the air, transforming into the russet brown wolf that I love. Ethan was at my side at lightning speed, grabbing my arms. Jacob's eyes burned with anger. Teeth bared, Ethan leaned down to my neck, as Jacob ripped through the air._

* * *

I woke up the next morning, my breathing hard. Swallowing, I looked at the clock. Crap! I hopped off my bed and threw on some jeans and a cotton T-shirt.

"Hey!" Leah greeted me as I walked down the stairs.

"Morning," I groggily replied.

"Your family left a while ago, but I came to take you."

I scarfed down a granola bar and we drove to school, talking about everything that came to mind. Today was a B day, so my first class of the day was gym. Joy.

Walking into gym class, I couldn't stop thinking about that dream. It may have been fantasy but it seemed so... real. Maybe I was overthinking it. Yeah, I probably was.

The students were sitting cross legged on the gym floor. I grabbed a seat as far away from them as I could, hoping not to catch any attention.

"Hey," a boy called from in front of me. "Are you Renesmee Cullen?"

The boy looked about six feet tall. His sandy hair was cropped short, and his smile showed his dimples.

"Yes," I responded. "Nessie, actually. And you are...?"

"Jason," he walked over and set his things down in front of me. "So what brings you here to Tulgey?"

"Oh, you know," I said. "I came here to spend more time with my family."

"So, do you like it here?"Jason asked.

"Um... not that much." I admitted. "It's too... small. It's hard coming here after everyone has found their niche, and I haven't."

He nodded. "Well, you have your family."

"Yeah, they're pretty great." I grinned. "But sometimes, it's nice to be away from them."

"Well, if you want you can eat lunch with me today." he offered, his eyes lighting up.

"Actually, do you mind if I bring my friends Jake and Leah, too?" I asked.

"Sure," he muttered, probably upset about Jake. "Well, see you at lunch."

The first two periods passed by in a blur. Gym, Pre-Cal. Finally lunch came. As I walked to the cafeteria, Jason was already waiting for me at the door.

"So, where are your friends," he glanced over his shoulder into the halls.

"They're coming," I said. "They're running late, that's all."

"Oh, I see. Well, here's where we're sitting," he pointed to a table with four others: two boys and two girls. I recognized Stephenie from English yesterday.

"Hey," Stephenie leaped out of her seat and came over to hug me. Her scent burned in my throat, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. I was used to mainly having a human diet anyway.

"Hey," I smiled. "You know Jason?"

"Yeah. Oh, let me introduce you to the rest of the table," she gestured to the three others seated. "This is Jaimie, Derek, and Danny."

Jaimie was a petite girl with wavy dark brown hair that fell to her sides. Derek was a tall boy with a short black buzz cut. He looked like he could crack me in half. Looking at Danny was a pleasant, comfortable change from the rest of them, who looked like supermodels. He was short, with glasses, and a hint of geek.

"Hello," I waved to them and took a seat next to her.

"So you're not sitting with your family today?" she asked. I glanced over to see my family's careful scrutiny.

"Nope. But some of my friends are coming." Jake and Leah entered the cafeteria as I said that. "And there they are now!"

"My locker's a piece of sh-" Leah began, but saw the five wary eyes on her. "Crap."

"Hey, I'm Derek," Derek said, walking up to Leah. "I don't believe we've met before." He flashed her a smile, trying too hard to flirt.

"Leah," she said indifferently, slamming her brown paper sack onto the table.

Jake set his lunch down next to me. "Not sitting with the bloodsuckers today?" he whispered into my ear.

"Nope," I grinned. "I'm tired of them smothering me."

Derek was still trying desperately hard to impress Leah. Every lie from "You know I have a blackbelt?" to "I'm a straight a student" came out of his mouth. Jason's eyes bored holes into the back of Jake. _If looks could kill..._ I thought, a smile playing across my features. I pressed my hand to Jake's cheek to fill him in on my joke. Then I realized people were watching.

"What are you doing?" Jason spat.

"Um...," I wracked my brain for lies. "It looked like he had a fever."

"Oh. Well, I think I might have a fever too!" I could almost see the lightbulb above his head go off.

"Well, you should go see the nurse about that, shouldn't you?" Jake remarked.

Jason sulked for the rest of lunch. I couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. After all, he was desperate for love. But hey, he shouldn't provoke Jake.

The remainder of the day was incredibly long, but it finally passed. As I was walking out, I saw a buff boy in full football gear walking up to flirt with my mom. _What a brarve soul_, I thought. I followed him and tried to hide behind the bushes, tripping and making the bushes jiggle, but eventually, I was situated.

"You watching too?"

I jumped at the tone of Jake's voice. Leah was seated right next to him.

"Hell yeah! I wouldn't miss this for the world." I grinned.

"Neither would I!" Leah yanked a small handheld camera. Always the planner!

The large jock walked over to my mom, who was leaning up against the side of the building.

"Hey, baby!" he greeted. She grimaced as she looked him over.

My interest was immediately taken when I saw him. He was standing at the edge of the parking lot, waiting. _This is my chance_, I thought.

"Um... I've got to go use the bathroom..." I got up and raced towards the parking lot, not stopping until I reached the person I was looking for. Ethan Mendora.

**Author's Note: Heyy! Sorry, it's a little late and kinda boring. BUT I am trying to get my characters established. The Stephenie Meyer thing is kinda corny, but since she created most of my characters, I figured she may want to delve into the world of vampires and werewolves. But yeah. I hope you liked it :D I really loved writing the dream. I think I might put more of them into the story. Correction: I will put more into the story. But anyhoo, questions, comments, suggestions? Want me to make you a human? Lol, I'm going to try to incorporate real people into this story. TRY. But anyhoo! Please review! I'm begging!**

**--Lauren :D**


	6. Early Thinkers

**_I do not own Twilight, silly brains!_**

"What do _you_ want?" Ethan asked, not turning towards me.

"I want to know why you keep shooting me these looks like... like you want to kill me," I snapped.

He let out a small laugh. "What? Is the new girl upset that _one_ person in the school won't turn to look at her?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. The 'new girl' is upset that that one person won't give her a chance. I mean, _my type?_ I hardly know you at all! What _is_ my type? Please, enlighten me!"

His dark, unreal brown eyes stared deep into mine. A sense of seriousness filled the air.

"You don't know anything," he spoke slowly, enunciating each syllable.

Somehow, it looked as if something besides his usual coldness filled his eyes. Sorrow? Remorse? It couldn't be... or... was it?

"I... I just... want to know..." My voice was barely a whisper.

His forehead creased. "You can't. I'm sorry." Surprisingly, it sounded as if he genuinely meant it. "Renesmee, we can't be seen together. It's... not in your best interest."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He glanced nervously at the school. "I mean, you should really get away from me while you can. Goodbye, Renesmee."

With that, he was off, leaving me dumbfounded.

"Nessie!" I recognized Stephenie's voice and turned to meet her. She was wearing a yellow rain jacket and walking with a girl in a similar red one.

"Hey!" I forced out the cheeriest voice I could, but it still sounded shaky.

"Are you okay?" she asked, rushing to my side.

"Um... yeah," I lied.

"Okay... Well, this is my friend Laurel. I just figured you guys should meet."

"Hello," I waved to the girl named Laurel. She was petite with deep blue irises. Her long, light brown hair was neatly pulled into a ponytail, and her makeup was flawless. She no doubt made me look simple.

"Hi," Laurel smiled a bright white smile. "So, mind if I sit with you guys tomorrow at lunch?"

"Of course not!" I said.

"Thanks."

"Well," Stephenie interrupted. "We should get going. Come on, Laurel!"

They skipped off to a red Grand Marquis and climbed in.

I didn't feel like twenty questions, though I knew that's what was waiting for me at home. To clear my thoughts, I started down the road to my house. I needed the time. I craved it. Who knows? Maybe I could put together some of the jigsaw pieces that were my life.

Wrong. Again.

By the time I entered my home, my life was still strange. Ethan's words were still like a foreign language to me. Jacob and my relationship was still complicated. And I had absolutely no idea how to tell my family about us. However, knowledge also came to me on my walk. Aunt Alice can't see Jake's and my future, which means she has no idea about us. Yes!

"Where have you been?!" my mother yelled as I stumbled through the door.

"I walked."

"Why?"

"Because... I needed to think."

"You could think in the car?"

"Well, no."

"Me either!" Uncle Emmett chimed in.

"Emmett, you can't think when it's silent." Aunt Alice teased.

"Hey! Hey!" Uncle Emmett retorted. "Did I insult you today? Huh? Did I?"

"You tripped me in the hallway making me look so very... human!" Aunt Alice yelled.

"You deserved it!"

"Did not! I didn't do anything to you!"

"You did just now!"

"Yeah, NOW!"

"But you _knew_ you were going to, you freaky psychic!"

During their little argument, the phone rang. I raced to go answer it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey! She lives!" Jake's familiar voice was enough to make my heart melt.

"Hey Jake!"

"I was wondering...," he began. "Would you like to... have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. "Yes! Yes I would!" I responded too quickly.

"Awesome. I'll pick you up around 6:30."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

I hung up the phone and raced out the door.

"Where are you going?" my mother called after me.

"Out!" I yelled, running at my insanely slow human pace to Leah's house.

* * *

"Eep! No way!" Leah squealed.

"Yes!" I giggled.

We sat flopped across her bed with two empty bowls of ice cream.

"That is too cute!" she grinned.

I elbowed her. "Shut up."

"Ooh!" she got up and raced to her closet. "I have the most perfect dress!"

"Leah, when did you become such a girl?"

"Since your Aunt Alice forced us all to go shopping."

Yeah, Aunt Alice made us get up early almost every Saturday morning to go check out the sales at the mall. My mom absolutely hated it. Leah was forced to come because... well... I made her suffer with me.

"Leah's a girl?" Seth asked from the doorway, making me giggle.

"I swear to God you little runt I'm going to kill you!" Leah threatened, shaking her fist.

"Bring it," Seth challenged, lowering into a crouch.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted. "Save it until I'm gone."

They both relaxed, still keeping a hateful glare on each other.

"So," Seth asked in his girliest voice. "What are we talking about?"

"Go away, runt," Leah snapped. "We don't need you here."

"Oh come on!" he whined. "You never let me in on what you're doing!"

Leah slammed the door in his face.

"I'm telling Mommy!" he yelled.

She continued to dig through her closet and muttered something about their mom being in La Push.

"Aha!" she yelled.

She pulled out a short deep green dress. It had a low neckline with a black ribbon wrapped around the waist.

"It's beautiful. But Leah, I can't possibly pull that off." I explained.

"Sure you can," she held it up to me. "I'm going to make you wear it either way, so spare yourself the energy you're going to use to argue."

I groaned. "Fine. But I should really get going. My parents are going to be waiting."

"I'll drive her!" Seth yelled through the door. I blushed a scarlet red.

"Stalker bitch!" Leah yelled back.

"The original!" he gloated.

I giggled at their little argument. "I think I can walk. It's still somewhat light out. See you guys tomorrow!"

Leah handed me the dress. "Later!"

I skipped off down the stairs and bounded out the door.

On the way home, I imagined what Jake and my date tomorrow would be like. Maybe we'd go someplace small, so no one could watch as I tripped over myself on my way through the door. I prayed that Leah would be right about the dress. Dresses weren't my thing. Cosmetics weren't my thing either. Did I even have a thing? Oh yeah, that weird let-other-people-know-your-thoughts-by-pressing-your-hand-to-their-forehead thing. Real helpful. Watch out! Here comes Nessie Cullen, and she's going to let you know her thoughts!

"How was Leah's?" my dad asked as I walked through the door.

"Fun," I responded and continued to climb up the stairs.

Once I was safe in my room, I hid the dress in the back of my closet. I raced into Aunt Alice's room (thankfully she and Uncle Jasper were out on a date) and opened her massive closet. I raced to the shoe section and dug for what I was looking for: a pair of black heels with gray and white stripes criss-crossing on the toe. Perfect. I also picked out a turquoise and black necklace. Back in my room, I hid all of my treasures in the back of my closet near the dress. Satisfied with my work, I decided it was time to turn in for the night.

* * *

_"You can't become attached! It will complicate the mission!" an unfamiliar voice screeched._

_Out of the shadows walked a man in a trench coat. He bowed before two other men, who were messing with a computer. A picture appeared on the screen. A picture of... me._

_"I haven't forgotten the mission. I just... don't think it's fair." another voice argued._

_"_Fair?! _The girl shouldn't exist! We're doing what's right for our kind! You committed to this, you're going to help carry it out! Are you going to be a disgrace just like her family?!" the other man bellowed._

_"No, master. I just... I don't know what I was thinking...," the boy who was crouched before the men muttered._

_"I don't either!" he yelled. "Then again... we could work this to our favor." A devilish grin crossed his face. "But a little bit of fear doesn't hurt. Show her what is to come to her."_

Then, my dream took a dark turn.

**Author's Note: Heyy! Here's my little Superbowl Sunday gift to you. Well, idk. I'm not watching the game thingy, so I figured I'd post. I hate football. But yeah. Those of you who think Nessie and Ethan will be like Bella/Edward, Ethan doesn't thirst for her blood. I hate Ethan though. He's... obnoxious. And the weird thing is I created him. Anyhoo, Laurel is actually the name of one of my reviewers, Psychic-Porsche-3. Ooh, and check out her story and witeout94's. They're fabulous. That's right. I read. I can also dance... well, not really. I'm too klutzy.**

**Thoughts? Comments? Shiny objects? Click that review button!**

**--Lauren**


	7. Leavin'

_I was standing in a dark room. Torture devices hung from the ceilings. But that's not what scared me the most. On the floor, the bodies of my family were scattered. I knelt to the ground, tears falling from my eyes. Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Grandpa Carlisle, Grandma Esme... Mom... Dad..._

_"Nessie!" Jake called. I turned to see him running towards me. "You have to escape! You have to--"_

_A black shadow slammed him against the wall._

_"Jake!" I screamed._

_He struggled against the man holding him against the wall, the muscles in his neck popping out._

_"Let him go!" I yanked at the man's arm._

_The man turned, his eyes flowing crimson red. He released Jake, and looked hungrily at me. I stepped back as he stalked towards me. Jake lay motionless against the wall._

_"You foolish girl," he mocked. "You know_ nothing._ You're a traitor. Just like your family." He gestured to the ground._

_Tears flowed out through my eyes. "Why?" I asked. "Why are you doing this?"_

_His eyes hardened and I could swear the red in his eyes was glowing. "Because you don't deserve to live."_

* * *

I awoke the next morning, even more freaked out than usual. I was a robot the whole morning. Nobody could get a straight answer out of me.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked at lunch.

"Uh, nothing," I lied.

"There's something," he pressed.

"Just... let it go," my voice was barely a whisper.

He stared at me, his eyes questioning, but he let it go.

"I'm going to go get lunch." He excused himself to the lunch line.

Once he left, Laurel scooted in closer to me.

"So, you guys seem close," she commented.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "I've known him since... forever. We'd always hang out when I came up here from Arizona."

"He's not like other guys," she noted. "I mean, it seems he genuinely cares for your feelings."

"Yeah, he's pretty great," I admitted.

"I know we may have just met, but please take my advice," she pleaded. "Hold on to him and don't let him go."

I smiled. "I won't." It was so easy talking to this person I'd only met yesterday.

* * *

Six thirty came so quickly, I barely had time to blink. My stomach was filled with butterflies, and I thought I was going to puke.

I met Jake at the end of the long drive to my house. I felt pretty good about myself. My black heels went flawlessly with my deep green dress. Sage green eyeshadow was applied to my eyelids, and a light pink blush covered my cheeks. My dark brown curls flowed down my shoulders.

"Wow," Jake said when I climbed into his car. "You look... wow."

"Thanks," I blushed. "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he smiled.

I jutted out my bottom lip. "Please, Jakey?" I begged.

"Nope," he grinned.

About twenty minutes later, we were seated in the most beautiful restaurant I could have ever pictured. It was small, but set outside near a lake. Boats drifted nearby as we ate the most exquisite food by candlelight.

"This evening has really been... magical," I commented as we were waiting for waitress to bring back his change.

"Magical, eh?" he chuckled. "You've just... been under a lot of stress lately. I figured you deserved a nice evening."

Aww. He thought I deserved a nice evening. Laurel's words played in my mind again. _Hold on to him and don't let him go. _I will never let him go. He _is_ special. And I'm the luckiest girl ever to have him. I smiled at the thought.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Just that... you're mine," I murmured.

"You're right," he took my hand in his. "I'm yours."

I smiled. Jacob Black was mine. I, Renesmee Cullen, had Jacob Black.

"And I'm yours," I whispered back.

This evening was so perfect. The most perfect evening I could have ever imagined. His arm was wrapped around my shoulder as we walked out.

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning my head onto his shoulder.

"You're welcome," he whispered back.

The blurry lines that had been forming in our relationship were suddenly clear. I loved Jacob Black. Jacob Black loved me, little Nessie Cullen. I was in total bliss... until I came home.

"RENESMEE CARLIE CULLEN!" my mother screamed as I walked through the door with Jake. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"

"What, Mom?" I asked.

"YOU'RE DATING HIM?!" she gestured to Jake. "Out of all the stupid things you could have done... Why?"

"M-Mom," I stuttered. "I don't see what's wrong with it."

"It's messed up!" she screamed. "He used to be interested in me! Your mother! Doesn't that make you _sick_?!"

"Mom! It's not a big deal!" I screamed back. I turned to my father. "You... you said you wouldn't tell her."

"I had to," he hung his head.

Tears were streaming down my face. "You're a traitor." I said through gritted teeth. "I hate you."

"Then why don't you just leave," my mother challenged.

"Bella," my father shot her an alarmed glance.

"Maybe I will!" I ran upstairs and locked my bedroom door. Pulling out two old duffel bags, I started yanking clothes out of my closet and shoving it in them.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked. I hadn't noticed he had followed.

"Leaving," I said. "They can't be telling me what to do. I'm not a little girl anymore!"

"Nessie, I think you need to rethink this. They're your family."

"Family?! I can't stand to be in the same room with them, Jake! I need to get out of here, out of this town."

I finished packing everything I needed and shoved makeup and my toothbrush in the bags. Finally, I pulled out the fake driver's license and ID my mom had gotten me. I shoved them into an old purse and emptied enough money equivalent to two year's salary into there. Jacob followed me out without another word.

"Nessie," my mom said as I came down the stairs. "Nessie, I'm sorry. You're my baby and---"

"Save it," I spat. "You don't care. I need out. Out of this town. I can't be stuck here! I need to live my life!"

"Wait! Nessie!" my father called. But he was too late. I was shoving my bags into the back of the white BMW M3 I had gotten for my last birthday.

"Where are you going?" Jacob asked.

"I-I'm not sure yet," I whispered. "Anywhere but here."

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"No," I protested. "I can't drag you down with me."

"You're not dragging me down, Nessie," he grabbed both of my hands. "We're doing this together."

"Together," I agreed.

He climbed into the driver's seat and I climbed into the passenger's seat. We weren't sure where we were going or if we would be okay, but we had each other. And we were doing this _together_.

**Author's Note: Hola chiquitas! I was really excited about this chapter, so I had to write it! I really don't like Bella, but in her defense for this story, she was just... caught up in the moment. But in the original Twilight Saga, I'm not sure. She's okay in the first one, but then I think she lead Jacob on afterwards. ANYHOO! I really hate splitting families up, but, I just... had to. Forgive me! And I know, you're probably thinking "Lauren knows about cars?" Heheheh... HELL NO! I looked it up on the net. But I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Well, the date part at least. If you're wondering where the rest of the Cullens were, they were hiding somewhere else in the house, because they didn't think it was their fight. I didn't write that in though.**

**I'M BURNING UP... BURNING UP! FOR YOU BABY! Leave a review el chiquita bananas!**

**--Lauren**


	8. My Own Personalized Hell

_"Momma, Daddy!" I yelled, waddling up to my parents through the snow. It was Christmas and I was 2. "Look! I made a snowman!"_

_"Aww, that's my girl," my dad exclaimed, scooping me up. "How are you holding up there, Emmett?"_

_Uncle Emmett was covered head to toe in snow. "The kid's got nerve, I'll give her that much."_

_I giggled. "Uncle Emmett's silly!"_

_"Very silly!" my mom laughed._

_"Rawr!" Uncle Emmett scooped me up and out of my dad's arms and swung me around._

_"Uncle Emmett!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You look funny!"_

_"You do, too, kid! You do too!" he teased._

_I giggled and kissed his nose. Then, a giant russet wolf caught my eye. "Jakey!" I yelled._

_I raced across the snow in my purple snowsuit. Jacob lowered his neck and I climbed on top of him._

_"Puppy ride!" I yelled. "Puppy ride!"_

_We plummeted through the snow, dipping up and down gracefully, until my mother scooped me off his back._

_"Come on, sweetie," she said. "Time for cake!"_

_"Cake!" I yelled. "I love you. Momma!"_

_"I love you too, sweetie," she murmured, playing with the small locket hung around my neck._

Tears were streaming down my face when I woke up. Why did I have to have that dream? Was my leaving a huge mistake? I played with the small locket which held a tiny picture of my parents and me when I was a little girl. I dabbed the moisture away from my eyes.

We were still driving, but to where I wasn't sure. The clock on the dashboard claimed it was one in the morning.

"Hey Jake," I said.

"Yeah," he asked.

"Maybe we should pull into a motel or something," I suggested. "You must be tired, and I can't guarantee I won't fall asleep behind the wheel."

"Okay," he agreed.

Last night, on our way to Jake's house so we could pick up some of his things, we had run into Leah. Once she found out about what had happened, she insisted upon coming with us.

"For protection," she'd said.

Protection? Whatever. This was turning to be more of a road trip. So now, the three of us and our luggage were packed into my tiny BMW.

We pulled into a small hotel about twenty minutes later. The room was small with only two beds, but we managed. Leah crashed on one leaving Jacob and me to share the other.

"So, where are we now?" I asked while Jake was working on his laptop.

"Pendleton, Oregon," he responded.

"Wow," I was genuinely shocked. We'd gotten to Oregon? "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking maybe we could drive through California, then maybe start heading for Chicago. I figured we should get out and see the country while we can."

Chicago. I've always wanted to go there. It sounded like a beautiful city, though most of the time it was freezing cold. We could get an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, and we could walk to pretty much anywhere. Finally, I was getting out to see the world.

"Good idea," I smiled. "I've always wanted to see L.A.."

"Me too," he said. "Get some rest. We have a long day of driving tomorrow."

I rolled over and prayed for a dreamless sleep. No hell would be worse than my own personal memories. Memories that used to make me smile, but now make tears pour from my aching eyes like a rain shower. My own personal hell.

* * *

_"Nessie, you have to leave! You have to get out!" A character that hadn't starred in my dreams in a while reappeared. Ethan Mendora._

_"What? Why?" I asked, puzzled._

_"It's not safe! There's not enough time to explain! Just leave!" He yanked me down a dark hallway of a fancy estate towards a door._

_"Going somewhere?" The man from my dream about Jacob reappeared. He was cloaked in black, but was clearly not a part of the Volturi. His crimson eyes burned with anger and hatred._

_"Get out!" Ethan shoved me towards the door and crouched into a protective stance._

_The man lunged at Ethan, leaving me frozen, tears streaming down my face._

_"Please, NO!" I screamed._

* * *

"Nessie, Nessie! Are you alright?" Jake shook me awake.

I rubbed my eyes and simply nodded.

He pulled me off the bed and into a hug. "You kept saying 'no, no.' What was it about?" he whispered into my hair.

"Nothing," I murmured.

He let it go and nodded.

"Where's Leah?" I asked, scanning the room.

"She went to go get breakfast."

"Mmm."

As if on cue, Leah burst right through the door, her hands filled with two McDonald's bags.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"No," Jacob mocked.

"Wasn't asking you."

"I missed you," I laughed.

She giggled and handed me a bag.

We ate in silence, anticipating a long day of driving. I hated being cramped inside a car for any given period of time. Especially since we were Oregon. Mountains were always one of my biggest fears. They were tall and steep, and tons of people fell off the sides. My cell phone started singing while we were leaving the hotel. I pulled it out and opened it. A text message.

_From: Aunt Rosalie_

_Message: Nessie! Where are you? We're worried sick. I understand that you feel this is necessary, but please, rethink it. I'm begging you. If you really feel you need to do this... I understand. But please, don't do anything impulsive. I miss you... we all do._

I pressed compose and started typing.

_Aunt Rose, I'm not sure where we're going. But I have something to prove and I'm not going to stop until I do. I understand you're all worried, but last night I felt challenged, and I really want to show Mom I'm not just a stupid teenager. I'm a strong, intelligent woman, just like you and Aunt Alice and Grandma Esme... just like her. I miss you too. But I can't come back. Not yet. Sorry. --Nessie_

I pressed send and snapped it shut. Leah, who was sitting next to me, noticed I was on the verge of tears.

"Aww, sweetie," she said, dabbing at my tears. "It'll be okay."

"No it won't!" I sobbed. "My family hates me, and I may have just made the biggest mistake of my life! But I can't turn back--not now. _We_ can't."

"Shh, shh," she murmured. "We won't. It'll all work out. We'll be okay."

I nodded and buried my face into her shoulder. Once my eyes were dry of tears and burning from the pain of it, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_In my dream, I was watching through the windows of my house. Silent, tearless sobs escaped from my mother._

_"I made a mistake," she cried. "A huge mistake! Now my Nessie is out there, scared, alone!"_

I'm not alone_, I wanted to tell her._ I'm okay!

_"Shh," my dad tried to soothe her. "It's okay. We raised a strong girl. She'll know what to do."_

_All of my family sat scattered in the living room. They stared blankly at the ground._

_"She's gone," my mother's voice was barely a whisper. "And it's all my fault."_

_"Don't say that," Uncle Emmett said. "It's not your fault. You did what you felt was necessary. She's okay, Bella. She's just... trying to live her life."_

_"Her life?" My mother asked, turning her neck towards Emmett. "Emmett, she's a teenager! She doesn't know--"_

_"Bella, listen to me!" Aunt Rosalie spoke up. "She may be a teenager, but she's as mature as any grown adult! She knows what she's doing. We just have to trust her."_

_Grandpa Carlisle shot a glance at Uncle Jasper. Uncle Jasper immediately understood the hint and filled the room with a serene atmosphere._

_"Bella," Aunt Alice's voice was quiet. "Give her time. She'll come around."_

_"I lost my baby," my mother sobbed. "I... I made her leave. This is my fault..."_

Mommy!_ I wanted to scream. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. But I couldn't. I was stuck behind the thick thick glass that I created._

* * *

My hair was pressed against my face, wet with tears. We were driving up the side of a mountain, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Leah!" I groaned as I was leaning out the car window. She stretched across the seat and pulled my hair back while I was leaving the mountains a present they wouldn't soon forget.

"Here," she said, pulling my hair back in a rubber band. "That's better."

"Mountains," I complained. My ears were popping from the altitude.

Jake chuckled. "Well, if we don't get to California by 9 tonight, guess where you'll be sleeping?!"

"NO!" I screamed. "DRIVE GOD DAMN IT! DRIVE!"

He bust out into laughter. "I-- Didn't-- Hear-- A-- Please!" He made out between laughs.

I threw a spare hairbrush at him. "PLEASE!!!"

He laughed and pressed down on the gas pedal. "Since you asked so nicely!"

I sighed and lay back against my seat. This was going to be a long drive.

**Author's Note: So, what'd you think? It isn't as good as the last one, but oh well. It'll get better. I have a few tricks up my sleeve!!! And I'm not sure where the hairbrush came from, but use your imagination.**

**_It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life. For me... And I'm feeling good!_ Don't you just love Michael Buble? I'm so buying that song off iTunes! Click that review button!**


	9. Discovery

With a little bit of luck, we made it to California by 9. Unfortunately, we weren't out of the mountains yet. After six nosebleeds, ten vomit sessions, and countless grunts of frustration, I agreed to stay the night in a small hotel halfway up the mountains. It wasn't the best class, but it would have to do. There was no way I was going any higher.

Leah and Jake unpacked the car while I hid in the room. Just the thought of being near the edge of the mountain...

I stared out the window while Jake was showering. Leah was dead asleep already. Someone caught my eye. He was staring out through his big black jeep. _No_, I thought. _There's no way he can be here... Or maybe..._

I grabbed my jacket and bolted out the door and down the stairs, tripping a few times. The outdoors could not come quick enough. "Ethan?" I called. "Is that you?" But he was gone. I could have sworn... must have been my imagination. Being indoors where it was easier to think, I decided it was silly to think he'd be all the way in California. _You're going crazy,_ I thought to myself. _It's not like he's a vampire or something._

Of course he couldn't be. He had brown eyes. Brown eyes. But they were unnaturally brown... And he did have the ivory skin... No. He couldn't be. We rarely ran into others! Everyone else would have smelled him by now. But... they never met him. I was the only one. And, though my sense of smell was heightened, I couldn't tell the scent of a vampire if my life depended on it. Were my vivid dreams trying to tell me something? Were we in danger? _No_, I thought. _They're just dreams!_

I tried to convince myself of that for the remainder of the night. I begged and pleaded with my mind to rethink it. But it wouldn't. I wouldn't. And I refused to.

_What if he is a vampire?_ I thought to myself. _What would this mean to the pack, my family? Me? _I shook it off. _No, I won't have this. I can't believe it. I won't._

But I could. And I did.

* * *

The next morning, after a quick shower, we were back on the road.

"How much longer?" I whined.

"Well, if we want to make it to L.A., I'm thinking it's probably another two day drive... We can always take a plane," he threw in.

"No way. What about seeing the country? I wouldn't miss a second of it." I said. "Although, maybe I would skip the mountain parts..." I threw in.

"Most definitely the mountain parts," he agreed with his bright white grin.

My thoughts flickered back to Ethan. It was silly, of course, to think that he could be one of us, but I couldn't help myself. He had all the makings. _Maybe I should tell them_, I thought. _Maybe they'll know..._

"Um, guys," I started.

"Yeah," they asked in unison. Creepy.

"Uh... um..." How was I supposed to say this? "Uhmm... I'm hungry! Can we stop for food some place?"

"Sure, where do you want to go?" Leah asked, totally convinced I was hungry. Jake eyed me suspiciously.

I opened a tourist map and flipped through it. "How's Cracker Barrel?" I asked.

"Ooh! Can we get those warm chocolate brownie things?!" Jake's eyes lit up.

Leah and I giggled. "Sure," I said. "Since you've been such a good boy."

He clapped his hands like a little toddler.

I opened my iPhone and pressed internet. Thankfully, I had reception. Google flashed on my screen. In the search bar, I typed in the name I was looking for. Ethan Mendora.

A list pulled up. I scrolled through them, checking the description of each. I finally came across something that looked promising. A newspaper article, dating back to August 1982. I opened it and read the article.

_It's been a rough week for Chicago police after the disappearance of the 17-year-old boy Ethan Mendora. Mendora went missing back in June, without a trace of evidence. Police have pulled in every last source they could, but still have no clue where Mendora went. A blood-stained rug is all that is left of that fateful night that Mendora went missing from his Chicagoland home on the upper east side. Rachel and Doug Mendora, the boy's parents, urge you to call local police if you have any information on the boy's disappearance. Despite the parent's hope, police have decided to close the case and presume Mendora dead._

_-Jenn Heffer, Chicago Calling_

My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be the same Ethan, could it? Of course not. Just a coincidence. Fear built up in my stomach.

"Actually, can we eat later?" I asked in a shaky voice. "I'm not so hungry anymore."

The car ride was long and terrifying. Leah and Jake played "I Spy" while I threw up over the side. I couldn't be any more relieved when we were out of the mountains and safely nestled into a cozy hotel in San Fransisco. Until we saw the room. Or should I say _rooms_?

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no!" I said to Leah. "There has to be a mistake. Please let there be a mistake!"

"Chill, Nessie," she said. "It's not like you haven't done this before."

"Yeah, but you won't be there!" I complained.

"You're mature, you know what you're doing," she assured me.

I sat down and sighed. We were sitting in her hotel room. The one she shared with no one. Unlike Jake and I who were sharing a room... and a bed. I'd begged and pleaded with the receptionist to give me my own separate room, but she wouldn't budge.

"It's just uncomfortable," I whispered. "I've never been alone with him before."

"Aww," she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "You'll be fine. It's just one night."

I nodded and hugged her. "See you in the morning."

I walked back to my room on the other floor. Jake was waiting for me, his shirt off. Can we say awkward ...Or hot... whichever you prefer...

"Hey," I whispered, admiring his perfectly muscular body.

"Hey." He slipped on a T-shirt, obviously noticing my ogling.

His short dark hair was dripping wet. He wore black pajama pants with his white T-shirt hanging over it.

"You hungry?" I asked, heading towards the small silver box we had stocked with non-perishable food in the corner.

"Actually, yeah," he admitted. "Need help?"

I hesitated. "Uh... sure."

He pulled out a box of ramen. My phone started ringing while I was filling a cup of water. Another text. This time from Uncle Emmett.

_From: Uncle Emmett_

_Message: Nessie. Please, please come home. We all love you. And the women have been sobbing day and night. If they had tears, they would have cried the Nile by now. Please, reconsider. We're miserable without you. It's not fun anymore. Everyone's too depressed to make a joke. Even me! At least call me or something. Please. I need to hear that you're okay._

I shut the phone. My eyes were heavy with tears. I dropped down on my knees and pressed my hand up against my eyes.

"Nessie!" Jake shouted.

"I can't do this, Jake!" I sobbed. "I've just made this harder on everyone! I'm a monster!"

"Shh, shh," he murmured, kissing my hair. "We'll go back. It'll be fine."

"No," I protested. "We can't. I want this."

"You want what?" he asked, clearly confused. "To stay on the run?"

"No," I whispered. "I want you."

I turned around and kissed him with all the passion I had in me. He ran his fingers through my hair and shoved me against the wall. I gasped. He stared at me, his heart beating against my chest.

"I love you," he whispered. "You do know that, right?"

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

I kissed him. His hands drifted down to the hem of my shirt...

**Author's Note: OH NO THEY DIDN'T! Shocker, huh?! Well, not really. Chillax, I'm not going to describe anything. But guess who is being considered as a member for National Junior Honor Society?! ME! And my best friend! We're both excited! EEP!!! Thanks to all my AWESOME reviewers! You guys are the best. I understand, as expressed by one reader, that it's sorta boring. But this story was really only written with the purpose of entertaining one person: myself. I didn't expect anyone to actually read it, hence the reason I was posting without the requirement of comments. I mean, I love reviews, and they're awesome, and I ask for them at the end of each chapter, but i don't mind if you don't want to. But the fact that I do have some people reading it is really amazing! I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I am writing it.**

**ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! PUT YOUR HANDS UP! Reviews? Comments? Suggestions? Got a story you want me to read? Click that review button!**

**--Lauren**


	10. Goodbye

"Morning," Jake's sweet, melodic voice greeted me when I awoke the next morning.

"Hey," I whispered turning over. The warm California sun beat down on my bare back through the thin draperies.

Memories of the previous night flooded through my head. A night of bliss, a night of love... a night I'll never forget. I turned to look at the clock. 10 am. Crap!

"Jake!" I yelped. "We have to keep going!"

I wrapped a spare blanket around myself and raced to my duffel bag on the ground. I pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a light pink V-neck.

"Relax, Nessie," he said, throwing on a pair of jeans. "We're in no hurry."

"You're right," I agreed. "But it would be nice if we weren't always on the road."

"Well, let's stay here for the day, then." he suggested. "There's a nice restaurant down the road. Wanna go there for dinner... without Leah?"

"Like, a date," I asked.

"Yup. I mean, after what we did last night," he gestured to the bed. "I think a date would be a bit... safer."

The room was torn up, pillows were thrown across the room, lamps were tipped over.

"Okay," I giggled. "What time?"

He grinned. "Seven."

"I'll be ready." I said.

After I changed, I went over to tell Leah.

"EEP!!!" she squealed. "NO WAY!"

"Keep it down!" I smacked her arm.

"I just can't believe it," she whispered. "It seems so surreal."

"Now you know how I feel," I said. "That he could actually fall for me--"

"Not that," she interrupted. "That you could fall for _him_. I mean, I know you guys have loved each other-- like best friends should-- but the actual attraction under it..."

"Yeah, pretty shocking." And it was. Until a week or two ago, Jake had always been my best friend. No questions asked. Besties for life. But... since the night of the wedding, he'd been more. Like the missing piece of me that I'd never known was right in front of my eyes.

"This is too cute!" Her voice broke my train of thought. "I'm so doing your makeup! And we're so going dress shopping!"

"Leah!" I complained. "I'll wear the dress I wore last time. Jake doesn't care what I wear... he's too sweet for that."

"Okay, okay, suit yourself," she sighed. "But I'm still doing your makeup, even if I have to take you hostage."

"Fine," I sighed.

My phone vibrated. Another text. I pressed open.

From: Uncle Jasper

Message: Nessie, I'm not trying to pressure you. None of us are. But we miss you. I'm not here to beg you to come home, if that's what you really want. But... we miss you terribly. Not even my powers can calm your mother down. She wanted me to tell you how sorry she is. If you want to love that--- Jacob, we won't object. As long as you're safe with us, nothing else matters. Nothing. Love you, my fellow freak :D --Uncle Jazzie

I smiled through the pool of tears forming in my eyes. Uncle Jasper used to tease me about being a freak because of my peculiar power. It was a joke shared between us that I missed horribly. But I loved Jacob, and my loyalties were to him and no one else.

* * *

At seven o' clock, I was seated in a small Italian restaurant with the most wonderful man across from me. I ordered the spaghetti and he ordered lobster. This moment couldn't get any more perfect, so why did he look so nervous?

"Jake, why do you look so nervous?" I asked, reaching across to grab his hand.

"I-I need to tell you something." His voice was barely a whisper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I love you," he said.

"I know," I whispered. "I love you, too."

"But... well... I've always loved you," he whispered. "Not in this romantic sort of way, but since the day you were born, I've loved you."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What are you saying?"

"Well, you know about my secret," he whispered.

"Yeah, I've known that for a while..." I raised one eyebrow.

"There's more to it..." He hung his head. "Well, there's this thing. It's called imprinting. It's kinda like love at first sight for werewolves. The two don't have to be romantically involved. The werewolf can play the role of older sibling, best friend, or... lover."

My mouth hung open. Had he imprinted? On who? Leah? If they imprinted, could it really be called love? Was it just because of what naturally happened? Maybe not. I still had hope. Maybe he really truly loved me.

"H-have you imprinted?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes.

"Yes," he whispered.

"W-who is she?" My voice cracked.

"You," he stared deeply into my eyes. "I imprinted on you. When you were only a few minutes old."

My heart stopped dead. "M-me?"

He nodded.

"So... the only reason you love me is because... because you imprinted on me? It's not actually love?" I asked.

"It is," he tried to reassure me.

"How can you know," I asked. "What if it's the imprinting talking? You... you may be able to find happiness with another girl... and I'm not going to keep you from that."

"Nessie, what are you saying?" he whispered.

"I-I'm saying I need to let go. I'm saying I need to stop chasing a fantasy... I'm saying goodbye Jacob." Tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Please, don't say that," he begged. "I love you."

"Goodbye," I whispered and raced out the doors.

My hair was pressed against my face, which was wet from tears. I started down the road, despite his shouting my name.

Two cool, white hands grabbed me and clamped down on my lips. My screams were muffled.

"Shh, shh," he whispered. "Don't scream... It will be easier that way."

I tried to kick, but he was hard as marble.

Then he said something shocking.

"I'm sorry, Nessie."

**Author's Note: Dra-ma. I know it's short. I wrote it in one sitting. But I wanted to end with a cliffy. So yeah. Plus I had to get out all the drama. I didn't write the whole... well... you know thing because I don't write those sorts of things. The story's rated T for some choice words I use in some chapters, but so far nothing too bad. Now, later in the story, it may become more... colorful. Just a warning! Anyhoo, you think Nessie overreacted a tad bit? I do. She's all "gasp!" and I'm like "He still loves you, ya know," she's like "No, I still want you to write that in," I'm like "Whatever. Your story, not mine." So yeah lol. Okay, I'm not that crazy. But you know. If my family will stop parading in and out of this room asking for help, I may be able to get another chapter up. Keyword: may.**

**_The memory I wanna forget... Is goodbye..._ I hate Miley Cyrus, but this song was playing so I thought it seemed fitting. I may use some of the lyrics as a plotline for Nessie, but idk. Reviews? Comments? Are you mad at me? Lol**

**--Lauren**


	11. Kidnapped

**Language gets a bit strong in this chapter. Sorry. But it just helps show how angry she is. I don't own Twilight btw!**

"Who are you?" I asked the dark silhouette in the front seat. I was sitting in a dark U-Haul van. So dark, nothing could be seen.

He ignored me and kept driving.

"Answer the fucking question!" I screamed. As long as I was going down, I might as well go down with a fight.

"Whoa, little girl, watch the language," he warned.

"Don't call me a little girl! I'm seventeen, you dumbass!" I shouted.

"Are you?" he asked. "Are you really? You _should_ be in second grade, now shouldn't you?"

How could he know this? Nobody could ever find out! My records were doctored for crying out loud!

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I had to do this..."

"Had to?" I asked. "What are you talking about? What are you saying?"

"You shouldn't have to be exposed to this," he muttered. "_You_ didn't do anything wrong."

Wrong? If I could only have super strength so I could rip through that wire frame. But no. I was just little old Nessie. My powers were useless. I had all the monster qualities a vampire had, but none of the ones that could save my life, with the exception of my skin. But I was dealing with someone much, much worse than that. His cold, hard, ivory skin reminded me of my family's. He was most definitely what I feared... a vampire. It all made sense now. His sweet scent. His cold, hands. His voice. This wasn't any ordinary vamp. It was Ethan.

"E-Ethan?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

My heart stopped. Ethan _was_ a vampire. He was kidnapping me. I _should_ fear him-- he was kidnapping me for God sakes!-- but I didn't. I felt secure. He wouldn't do anything to me, I was absolutely positive.

"Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. Nessie, I told you we shouldn't be seen together. It was dangerous. That first day I met you... I was supposed to kill you. But I couldn't. In Biology, I saw how innocent you looked. To take someone like you from this world... it would be a crime, though I'm not scared of the law. I decided to leave you alone... until Jared and Mitchell found out about you. They said you didn't deserve to live. I objected, but they said that--" He paused.

"Said what?" I asked, my lip trembling.

"That if I didn't take care of you, they would find you themselves and you would have the worst possible death."

Death? Me? What did I do to them? I opened my small black purse and found my phone. I opened a new text.

"So where are we going?" I asked. "What do you intend to do with me?"

"We're going as far away from Tulgey as possible. Charlottetown, Canada most likely. I... I'm going to protect you. I've never felt such a pull towards anyone in my life."

My kidnapper wanted to _protect_ me? He felt a pull towards me? This can't be happening. I had to warn the others. They had to get as far away from Tulgey as possible. I had to find out more.

"Why-- why did they want to kill me?" I asked.

"They said half and halfs were a disgrace. They said your family wasn't fit to be vampires. They're plotting your family's death! This isn't the first time this has happened. Jared and Mitchell, they call themselves the _Enforcers_. They think they're doing our kind justice. They created me just to have someone to help them. I've obeyed them for over twenty years, and I'm done."

I nodded and started pressing buttons frantically.

_Guys, I'm sorry about everything. Just listen to me. Please. I need you all to get as far away from Tulgey as possible. A group of vampires, they call themselves the _Enforcers_, are planning to kill you. Please, I'm begging you, start driving and don't stop until you get somewhere far, far away. I'm going to be fine. Just leave. Right now._

I closed the phone and prayed they would get it.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"You had no choice," I objected. "Don't apologize!"

"I have to!" he shot back. "They're... they're going to take hostages..."

"Hostages?" I asked in disbelief. "What do you mean?!"

"I mean, right now, they're taking all your friends and family and hauling them to somewhere where no one will dare find them..." His voice was nearly silent.

"What?!" I shouted. "Please! No! You have to take me to them!"

"I can't!" His voice was firm. "It's too much of a risk."

"Please, Ethan," I begged. "You have to. They're my family!"

"No!" he yelled. "I can't lose you!"

"I'm not yours to lose!" I said. "I'm Jacob's!"

"Please, give me a chance," he begged. "I'm going to fight for you. I won't let that _dog_ take you away from me."

"Dog?!" I yelled. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I'm not yours! I don't love you! You don't love me! I love Jacob! J-A-C-O-B! JACOB!"

"It didn't _sound_ like love at the restaurant," he commented. "You sounded pretty damn pissed!"

"I-I was confused!" I shot back. "You don't know me!"

"I know you better than you think," he said. "I love you Renesmee Carlie Cullen."

"Stop that!" I shouted. "You don't! If you really did, you would take me to where my family is!"

He pulled over. "If... If I show you, will you at least give me a chance?"

I nodded. "Yes. Just.. help me. Please. That's all I'm asking."

For the first time, I saw his real eyes. They were crimson red, like in my dreams.

"You... feed on humans?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm a monster," he whispered.

"No," I said. "You're not. But one question."

"For you, anything."

"Are you... the cause of my nightmares?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'm sorry. They made me do it. I would never do it voluntarily. I did try to warn you though."

"Of course," I whispered. "Just please, take me to my family."

"They're closer than you think," he said.

"W-what?" I asked.

"They're here," he said. "In San Fransisco."

"What are you waiting for?!" I asked. "FLOOR IT!"

We took off down the road. My family was in danger. It was time to stop being a scared little girl. It was time to become a fighter.

**Author's Note: Hola! Yeah, it turned out to be very eh-ish. This story is coming along speedily. Ethan likes Nessie! GASP! I really hate him. Just putting it out there. Yup, Cullens will most likely return next chapter! Along with some school friends! Hmmmmmmmmmm!!! Ideas! Thinker is working! Not sure about next chapter's release date, but it will be up by Monday. Thanks to all my awesome reviewers and those of you who either faved me or put me under story alert! EEP!**

**_You don't have to call anymore, I won't pick up the phone. This is the last call, don't want to hurt anymore. And you can tell me that you're sorry but I don't believe you baby like I did before, You're not sorry anymore no._ Love that song! Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren**


	12. The Name Game

We arrived at a small beat-up warehouse. I was unaware of the time. My mind was filled with other, more important things. How could I do this to Jacob? Why did I agree to give Ethan a chance? What kind of danger had I put my family in? I was a monster. In every sense. I broke hearts, I let them down, I destroyed. The _Enforcers_ were right. I didn't _deserve_ to live.

Ethan walked over and pulled me out of the van. He tried to take my hand but I squirmed away.

"Please," I pleaded. "Don't."

He nodded.

We paused at the door. "You don't have to do this, you know," he whispered. "We can turn back right now."

"Ethan, my family's in there," I whispered. "I have to."

He nodded. "I just want you to know, you're going to see some things that you shouldn't have to. You may never forget them."

"Nothing can be worse than the hell I've put everyone through in the past week," I muttered.

He opened the door with a loud creek.

"Well done!" A voice congratulated Ethan when we stepped through the door. "I didn't think you could do it! Gotta give you props, man!"

It was the man from my nightmares. The nightmares that awoke me with fright.

"Jared, don't do this," Ethan warned. "I won't let you hurt her."

"Oh, well it would be rude to not introduce myself!" Jared's voice was filled with anticipation. "Jared Mendora! Well, for now! So... little Nessie Cullen!"

Jared was a tall man. Nothing was particularly attractive about his features. He had short

"It's Renesmee to you," I said through gritted teeth.

"Feisty now aren't we?" He asked. "Fine, fine! Well, come on! Your friends are waiting!"

"F-friends?" I asked.

"Oh! It wouldn't be a party without them! They are, after all, the main entree!"

He lead me down a dark corridor. Small windows let the moonlight through painting shadows on the walls. We entered a large auditorium. The walls were painted gold.

"Nessie!"

I turned to see my two human friends, Laurel and Stephenie, tied up against the back wall. Their faces were drenched with tears. Shock was written all over them.

"Oh my God!" I walked over, but Ethan held me back. I turned on Jared. "YOU MONSTER!" I screamed. "I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL! YOU BASTARD!"

If only I could get close enough. If only I were strong enough. I would rip that bastard's throat out and enjoy every second of it. I would dance around the flames that burned his body.

Jared chuckled. "Renesmee Cullen. Disgraced with all the terrible that vampires hold, with the parts of human that won't help with anything. You can't stop me. Your family should be here shortly, along with those two mutts you seem to enjoy hanging out with so much."

My eyes widened in horror. My family was coming. Jacob and Leah were coming. I was destroying lives unintentionally. I was just as much of a monster as Jared.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He seemed to be enjoying this. "Well, after they received a very frantic text message from dear little Nessie, they hopped on a plane to San Fransisco! The mutts received one asking to come find you. They should be here anytime now, so just kick back and relax until they come!"

I dropped to the ground in despair, gripping the bridge of my nose. This was a disaster. Jacob, Leah, Mom, Dad, my whole family was going to be destroyed because of me. My mistake.

"What's going on?" Laurel asked, a hint of hysteria in her voice.

Jared turned to stare at her. "Ah, so typically human. Unaware of what else is going on in the world." He walked over and put his cool, white index finger under her chin. "Tell me my dear, what do _you_ think is happening?"

She shivered from the coolness of his touch. "Don't touch me," she warned.

He chuckled and pulled away. "Like _you_, of all people, could fight me off. Do you know who I am?"

"A kidnapper? A criminal," she guessed. "Stop me when I go wrong."

He got up really close to her face. "I'm your worst nightmare."

She shivered again.

"Get away from her," I warned.

"Or what?" he challenged. "What are you going to do?"

He had me there. I wasn't sure what I _could_ do.

"What's your name?" This time, his question was directed towards Stephenie.

"Stephenie." Her answer was almost automatic, but still filled with terror. "What do you want with us?"

He grinned. "It's nothing against you, my dear. It's just... your death will destroy your little friend here." He shot me a glance.

"What are you?" she asked.

"Oh, I would tell you, but I think your little friend here may want to do the honors."

Anger ripped through my veins. He was ruining lives. That monster. I hated him with fierce intensity. His death was all I wished for. A slow and painful one at that. I wanted him to feel what his victims felt. I wanted him to suffer.

"Idea!" he exclaimed. "How about a game? A name game! Let's all get to know each other! Create a nickname for yourself. It's what you'll be called throughout the night. I'll go first! I'm Beastly Boss!"

We all stared in disbelief.

"Well," he asked. "What are you waiting for?! Line up!"

We stood in a line while he sat on one of the theatre seats. I was first.

Jared grinned devilishly.

"Kick-ass Cullen." My eyes, burning with hatred, locked on his.

"Feisty, aren't we," Jared chuckled.

Laurel was next. "Lovely Laurel," she whispered.

"Sweet Stephenie," Stephenie's fear-filled voice murmured.

Jared motioned for Ethan to come join him. "Ethan, Ethan. Please! Come join me!"

Ethan shot him a glare. "No." His voice was definite.

Jared raised an eyebrow. "You're trying to win the heart of this insignificant girl? Do you think someone of her kind could ever be capable of loving?"

"You know absolutely _nothing_ about Renesmee!" Ethan spat. "Don't tell me how to feel!"

Jared glanced at me then grinned at Ethan. "She loves someone else."

Ethan was silent.

"Ha!" Jared laughed. "Never trust a human! Even if she is part vampire, she's still a disgrace!"

Before I had time to blink, Ethan knocked Jared to the ground. "DON'T EVER SAY THAT!" He screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!"

Jared stood up and brushed himself off. "I won't defy you. But remember, you're my creation. You wouldn't exist without me."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "I would be happy without you."

"Really?" Jared challenged. "I took you in. I treated you like a son. I made you my son.

"You made me a monster!" Ethan yelled.

"Let me give you a little advice," Jared said. "The only people you can trust in this world are Mitchell and me. You can't trust her. She's a liar."

I winced. He was right. I _wasn't_ going to give Ethan a chance. I loved Jake for God's sakes! And I made the biggest mistake of my life leaving him.

Ethan glanced at me. "You're a monster. But I refuse to be one anymore."

Stephenie and Laurel were frozen. Laurel stared at me. The faces that I could never forget, my living hell, I saw in her eyes. A loud snap came from the foyer-- the door was knocked over. Then my heart froze, and I thought I was going to puke.

"NESSIE!" my angel called. No! This can't be happening!

**Author's Note: So yeah, I hope you were able to grasp the concept that Nessie was just using Ethan to get to the warehouse! Lolz. Some silly piggies make me chuckle ;D I totally freaked you guys out! I kinda copied the 'name game' from General Hospital. Originally 'kick-ass Cullen' was 'Kick-Ass Carly'. Lolz. It was my favorite! I it! Anyhoo, it took me forever to get around to writing this because I was busy today! So yeah.**

**_Just take the fall. You're one of us now... SPOTLIGHT IS ON!_ Reviews? Comments? Angry? Wanna be a silly piggy?! Click that button below! I love reading reviews! Laterzz!**

**--Lauren**


	13. Welcome To The Show

Jared grinned at me evily. "Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?"

"Don't hurt him!" I yelled.

"Hurt him?" He looked genuinely shocked. "No, no, my dear. I'm not going to hurt him... per se."

I leaped towards him, my teeth bared. Ethan put a restraining hand on my shoulder. The once silent footsteps became louder and louder as they moved towards us. Tears dripped down my face. How could I let this happen? I now put the love of my life in danger. No. I won't let that monster hurt him. My Jake. _Mine._

"Nessie?" A different voice this time. Leah's.

_Please,_ I silently prayed. _Don't let them get hurt. Please._

Jared hid behind the doors.

My heart shattered as Jake and Leah burst through the auditorium doors.

"Nessie!" he shouted.

My eyes were heavy with tears. "No!" I sobbed. "Please! Go!"

Jake sniffed the air. Then he glanced down at Ethan's hand on my shoulder. Pain crossed his face.

"Renesmee..." he whispered. That was the first time I heard him say my full name in a long time. "I... I still love you."

"I...I---" I began.

"Bravo!" Jared clapped his hands. He leaped out from behind. "That was quite a show! Well, welcome to the show, mutts!"

Leah crouched to the ground.

"Leah," I warned. "Not here. Not now."

She locked eyes with me and understanding passed through us.

"Good girl!" Jared chortled. "Want a doggie biscuit?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "Give me one good reason I don't kill you right now."

"Because, my dear, you can't!" he laughed.

Her eyes narrowed. Jake grabbed her shoulders.

"Leah, don't," he whispered.

"Now where were we?" Jared asked. "Ah, next game! A roleplay! The rules! You must at least try to act, and it must amuse me. Come on, my little victims! On stage!"

We all walked up onto the stage. The red curtains pulled back onto a set of a family room.

"Our characters," Jared began. "will be Renesmee, Mutt, or 'Jacob', and Ethan! This is going to be a drama about love! After all, it is a battlefield. Please, please! Begin!"

We stood up and glanced nervously at each other. Ethan went and stood behind the door. I followed.

"I can't do this!" I yelled, slamming the door. "Go... please."

He followed after me. "Don't say that!"

"I don't love you!" I screamed. And I meant it. I didn't love him. I loved Jacob!

He looked stunned. "Yes you do! You have to give me a chance!"

I rolled my eyes. "I love someone else." I turned to Jacob. "I love you." I hoped he knew I wasn't lying.

"I love you, too," he murmured.

I ran across the room and into his arms. They were so warm. I felt safe, as if this whole nightmare could disappear when he held me.

"Please, give me a chance!" Ethan pleaded. "I love you."

I turned around. Jacob wrapped his arms protectively around my waist.

"Leave her alone," he said.

Ethan locked eyes with him. "Make me." he challenged.

Jacob was across the room in an instant. His arm pinned Ethan against the wall.

"I said, leave her alone!" he yelled.

I had a feeling we weren't acting anymore.

I yanked Jake off and pulled him into a kiss. Ethan watched, stunned at my abrupt movement. I pulled away and continued.

"True love never dies," I said. "I was a fool to think so before. I should have never second guessed you. I'm sorry."

"I love you," Jacob whispered.

"I love you, too." I whispered back.

Ethan stormed off the stage.

"Bravo!" Jared clapped. "Excellent! You should win an Emmy!"

Jake and I rolled our eyes and climbed off the stage.

"What else do you want us to do?" Jacob asked.

"Well, I was considering having you all tap dance," Jared mused. "Or maybe even puppet theatre!"

"Dumbass," Jacob said under his breath.

"Mutt," Jared shot back. "I would be very careful. Remember who you're talking to!"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Laurel and Stephenie were tied up once more. Although, it's not like Jared couldn't catch up to them if they tried to make an escape. But, if he were distracted, maybe they would have a chance. If he were busy...

"You know," Jared said to Ethan. "You're the second vampire to ever fall for a human. Or part human at least. What's so appealing about them?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "They're just like us, Jared."

Jared nodded. "Maybe," he said. "But you can also say they're like primates. In fact, they're more like primates. So full of flaws. I don't see the appeal. Except for their scent! It's so... inviting! Being in that school full of children, it was just so tempting! Not that I didn't cheat a few times..."

What a jerk. He thought he knew me. He didn't! He didn't know anything about me or any of the rest of us! Oh, just to get the chance to ring his neck! No, to rip him apart, flesh from muscle, muscle from tissue, that would be what I would kill for! I wanted him dead. I wanted him to rot in hell. He deserved worse than hell! Hell would be too good for him!

"You're a bastard," I said to him.

Jared simply chuckled. "You have much to learn."

I raised my eyebrows. "Do I?"

That caused him to think. "Hmm... yes, I believe so. But new game!"

I sighed. How many more stupid games would he want to play before he killed us all.

"It's a scavenger hunt! You have to look through this whole building for the items. Now, here's what you're looking for. A barrel, a bottle of aged wine, a pillow filled with down, a welcome rug, and some fishing wire." He grabbed Stephenie. "Find all these items, and you delay the girl's death. If not" he sniffed Stephenie. "She'll make a mighty fine meal. Go!"

We raced off down the corridor: first Jake, then me, then Leah, then Laurel. The front of the building was filled with towers of boxes.

"How are we going to find all this?" I asked.

"Leave it to me," Jake said. Leah and he started sniffing the boxes.

Laurel pulled me aside. "Okay," she said. "What's going on?"

I sighed. "You'll never believe me."

"I'll believe anything at this point."

"Well, you know all those tales about... vampires?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Well, it's somewhat true."

"Somewhat?"

"Well, we do drink blood. But we don't sleep in coffins... actual vampires don't sleep at all. And we don't burn up in the sun... we sparkle. But I'm only half. My mother was human when she had me."

Laurel let it sink in. "I believe you, strange enough."

"But you can't tell anyone. For your safety."

"I won't," she promised.

"Done!" Leah announced. All the items were tucked safely into the barrel. She rolled it down the corridor.

"Are they vampires too?" Laurel asked, gesturing to Leah and Jake.

"No," I said. "They're werewolves."

"Oh," she said. "Normal enough."

She took the rest of the walk to let it all soak in. It was quite a bit, but I was fairly sure she could handle it.

"Bravo!" Jared clapped as we walked in. "I didn't think you could do it, but you did!"

We all rolled our eyes, careful not to be too sassy. Stephenie was still locked in his arms.

"We finished your game, Jared," I said. "Now, let her go."

He shoved her to the ground. She was on all fours and heaved up and down, but nothing came out. I rushed over to make sure she was all right.

"What's your next twisted game?" I asked, patting Stephenie on the back.

"Hmmm...," he pondered. Then his eyes lit up. "More guests. Just more to join the show."

**Author's Note: Hehe. Yeah, I like the title of this chapter. What do you think? Lots of eye rolling. Lol! So yeah, I thought is was pretty fun :D Just my future thoughts: I am most definitely going to do a sequel. I already have plans, and I wrote the prelude. And I was thinking about doing a side project, Jake and Nessie still, but it's all human. The 'theme' would be Nessie is rich, popular, and everyone is jealous of her. Jacob thinks she's the snottiest girl in school. Nessie never notices him until they're put in a situation where they depend on each other to survive. What do you think? It was just a thought.**


	14. Impulse

I stared at Jared, quite puzzled. "Guests?" I asked.

He grinned. "Oh you'll see soon enough... sooner than soon."

I stumbled a few times from lack of sleep. Jacob picked me up and sat me in a chair. I leaned my head back... until I heard the noise.

"NESSIE!" That familiar voice... Oh no.

My father.

He burst through the auditorium doors, followed by the rest of the Cullens. I buried my face into Jacob's shoulder.

"Daddy," I mumbled. "Please. Go."

He was at my side in an instant. He stuck his nose up in the air. "Oh no."

My mom's eyes popped wide open.

"Bella," my dad whispered. A look of understanding passed through them.

"Welcome, Cullen family!" Jared boomed. "Well, it's like a little family reunion, now isn't it?"

"Jared?" Uncle Jasper asked. Jared nodded.

"Jasper?" Mom asked. "Do you know him?"

He nodded. "When I lived with Maria, he was a newborns that escaped. One of the deadliest ones I've ever seen..."

Jared was hanging from one of the balconies. "Scared?" he asked.

"Not really," Jasper admitted. "Your bark is worse than your bite."

Jared chortled. "My bite is pretty bad. It can kill one of your little human friends here."

Stephenie and Laurel exchanged shocked glances. I hovered protectively over them. Jared just laughed.

"Why didn't I realize this before?" my father asked. "I should have paid more attention!"

"Silly, silly, vampire," Jared teased. "Come, we must walk. Don't think about bringing any enforcement."

He left the room with my father.

"Stephenie, Laurel," I whispered in my softest voice, that not even a vampire could hear... if they weren't in the room. They looked up. "When you get the chance, when he's distracted, I want you to run."

They nodded. "What about you?" Stephenie asked.

"I'll be fine," I whispered. "I just need you to get as far as possible."

"I'm not leaving you," Laurel whispered. "Or the rest of them."

"You have to," I whispered back.

There were no objections. Jared entered the room at my final word, along with my father.

My dad nodded at Grandpa Carlisle, then Jacob. Jacob immediately knew and was running to my side. Jared leaped in surprise, and was at my side in a second, teeth at my neck. I screamed.

"Don't come any closer," he warned. "Or sweet precious Nessie becomes what you fear the most."

My family backed up against the wall. Ethan's eyes narrowed. Jake paused where he was at.

"You won't," Ethan said.

"Oh, but I will!" Jared yelled.

My breathing was heavy. "Please," I begged. "Let the rest of them go. I'll play whatever game you want."

His teeth pulled a little farther away. "But my dear," he said in his politest tone. "It's not a game I fancy anymore."

"Oh?" I asked. "So what do you want?"

He laughed. "I thought you may have noticed by now."

I looked at him.

"I want nothing more than your friends' blood," he said.

"No!" I screamed. "I won't let you."

I yanked away. Jacob grabbed me by my shoulders and yanked me into his arms. Then Leah burst through the doors, in full wolf form. The rest of the Cullens closed in on Jared. Jared scooped up Stephenie and Laurel.

"Put them down!" I yelled.

He stared at me before a grin lit up his face. He leaned down and grabbed Stephenie by the neck. I watched in horror as he chomped down on her neck. Dropping to the ground, something happened to me that had never happened before. I had a flashback. But not from my own life. From my mother's. She was with James. They were in a ballet studio. James locked eyes with my father, and leaned down...

"No!" I screamed.

He laughed and grabbed Laurel's wrist. Then, he was knocked to the far end of the room by the person I least expected. Grandpa Carlisle. While the rest of my family, including Jake in wolf-form now, went to take care of Jared, I raced to Stephenie's side.

"Steph! Steph!" I yelled. "Oh, God!"

She wriggled on the floor. "PLEASE!" she pleaded. "MAKE IT STOP!"

I watched helplessly. Aunt Rosalie was by my side.

"Nessie," she said. "There's nothing we can do."

My eyes widened with shock. "What?!" I gasped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she explained. "He bit her in her neck. There's no way we can stop it."

"No!" I sobbed. I'd failed her. But there were more issues. Leah was lying still on the floor. The rest of the Cullens backed up. A tinge of anger flared through me. This bastard thought he could come in here, destroy my family, and turn one of my friends into a... a monster! Oh! He had another thing coming! And I intended to show him just that!

"You!" I screamed. At that moment, I was fearless. Nothing else mattered. He was destroying my family. I wouldn't allow it! I couldn't! And I intended to teach him a lesson he shouldn't soon forget! A sudden srength filled me. I felt... whole. Like I could run a marathon, or lift up a building.

"What's little Nessie Cullen going to do?" he asked. "You're powerless. Helpless. You're going to watch as I destroy your family piece by piece. And I'm going to enjoy every second of it. But don't worry. You're next."

That went too far. He'd ruined too many! Anger pulsed through every inch of my body. Before I knew it, I was engaged in a fight I wasn't sure I could win.

**Author's Note: Yes, it's short. But I just really wanted to get this little piece out. I'm going to be busy this weekend with a million essays to write, but hopefully I'll be able to get a few chapters out. Long weekend :D I'm probably going to start my little side project this weekend too (the human one). So yeah, I realize everything is rushed in this chapter, but I wasn't sure you'd be up for another game. Plus I wrote this in 20 minutes. And I just realized I made a ton of typing errors in my writing, like in one chapter I put flow instead of glow. Hmm. Anyhoo, have a wonderful weekend :D**

**_Spitting fire back and forth now, times have changed in just a few months. _Comments? Hate it? Love it? Wanna sell me a sheep? Click that button, folks!**

**--Lauren :D**


	15. Strength

I lunged at his throat. I was set to kill. My own strength surprised me. He was pinned up against the auditorium stage by my own hand. I twisted his arm off, grinning as he screamed in pain. Throwing it to the side, I grabbed the side of his head.

"Start the fire!" I called.

Aunt Alice obeyed. I could hear the crackle of flames behind me. Jared shoved me to the floor and began kicking at my side. I screamed in pain. He grabbed my arm, wanting to prolong the moment. I cringed in fear. But in an undescribable blur of porcelain white and russet brown, he was on the ground. Grandpa Carlisle picked me up and raced to the back of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father and the russet brown wolf I loved so much attacking the monster.

"Did I miss something?!" a voice boomed. I turned to see the man in the picture---Mitchell--- standing on top of one of the balconies. "Ah," he said. "You must be the Cullens. Well, I'm not the one to miss out on a good fight!"

He lunged towards me, but Uncle Emmett shoved him backwards. By now, I was set on a row of theatre chairs. Grandpa Carlisle was attending to Leah. Leah! I almost forgot about her. Picking myself off my seat, I began crawling across the aisle towards Leah. Ethan grabbed me and shielded me, from what I wasn't sure until I heard the crack. Mitchell. His long brown hair flowed from his speed. Though vampires are supposed to be perfect, I couldn't see one fine feature about his face. Just like Jared. They were both monsters, there was not a doubt in my mind about that. But Ethan wasn't. Ethan was the good guy. If he had had the choice, he wouldn't be this monster. Ethan fell to the ground. A loud snarl ripped from my throat, making Mitchell leap backwards. He appraised me for a second, before deciding he could take me.

"You don't deserve to live," he informed me. "Your family must die. But, since you want to go first..."

"I can take you," I challenged.

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"Strength comes from within," I said.

"You should really put that on a calendar. But this isn't a calendar. This is the end of the road for the Cullens. For your traitor family."

I paused. "Why are we traitors?" Hopefully I could distract him. I glanced at Laurel, hoping she would get the hint and leave. She did and began crawling towards the exit.

"Well," he began. "First off, you hang out with mutts. Oh the stench! Second, you're half human. Humans are prey. See?" He walked over to Laurel and grabbed her arm. Her eyes widened with fear.

"Don't," I warned.

He raised his eyebrows. "And why not?"

"Because I'll kill you." I said.

He laughed. "I'm not scared of you, Little Nessie Cullen. You're just an insignificant girl." His icy lips were now pressed against her skin.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't."

Laurel was horrified. She sat perfectly still, not wanting to provoke Mitchell.

He grinned. "Hello, my dear." He clamped down on her skin, making her scream out in pain.

"NO!" I screamed.

A flow of blazing hot moisture---venom was my guess--- seemed to repair my ribs temporarily as I lunged towards Mitchell. He grabbed my hair, and I grabbed his arm. Seeming to think I was fragile, he began pulling. But I knew better. My surprising strength overtook me again as I began to yank away separate parts of his body. His arm, his ear, his legs... his head. He was a surprisingly easy match. Aunt Rosalie grabbed the pieces and began throwing them into the fire. I stepped back to take a look at my work. I was no longer the tiny Nessie everybody knew. I was able to save my family. But... not my friends. I turned to see Laurel screaming out in pain.

"MAKE IT STOP!" she pleaded. "PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP! IT'S BURNING!"

On the other corner of the room, Stephenie was screaming, too.

I knelt to Laurel's side. Grandpa Carlisle walked over and rest his arm on my shoulder.

"Please," I said. "We have to help her."

He shook his head. "We can't. Even if we were able to save her, the Volturi would come and destroy her. Isn't this what's best for your friend?"

"No," I said. "We're taking her life away from her. It isn't fair." I brushed my fingers through her hair.

Two hot fingers brushed my bangs out of my face.

"Jake..." I said, turning to him. "She's... her life..."

"Shh," he pulled me into his arms. "It'll be okay."

"No," I sobbed. "It won't. This isn't fair. She didn't get a chance..."

"Carlisle's right," he said. Hmm. This was the first time I'd heard him say Carlisle instead of Dr. Fang. "The Volturi will come and destroy her if they knew she knew about this. It's best for her if... if she were to live like this."

I turned to look at her. "I... I guess. But... I'm sorry Jake. I should have never left you."

He ran his fingers through my hair. "Don't say that. You did what you had to. I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered. "But there's one person I need to apologized."

I walked over to my mother who was watching Jared and Mitchell's fire.

"Mommy," I began.

She turned and looked at me with sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry." she whispered.

"No," I said. "I overreacted. I'm sorry."

She opened up her arms and I ran into them and hugged her. My dad walked over towards her.

"And Daddy," I said. "I don't hate you. I love you. I love all of you."

We all gathered around and watched the fire.

"We missed you," my dad said.

"I missed you guys, too," I said. "I'll never do that again."

Jake walked over and hugged me.

"We're a family," I said. "Like it or not, we're always going to stick together."

My mom laughed. "I think we can handle that."

We walked out, carrying the wounded out with us. I wasn't sure where Ethan had gone, but it didn't matter now. All that mattered was we were together. And we were happy.

I learned something that day. Strength comes from within. I didn't need to be a vampire to have strength. I was powerful just by being myself.

**Author's Note: Almost done :D It's short, and the fight scene was about 6 seconds, but I didn't want to drag it out. I REALLY want to start on the second one ASAP because I want to be able to possibly do a third one this summer. Next chapter is probably the last. Happy Valentine's Day! Yeah, I'm working on the next chapter of MMP. I'm thinking about posting for the BTO series normally, but Saturdays I want to post MMP. Idk. I probably won't stick to that, but you know. Oh, movie suggestion! It's a chick flick, and the girls are psycho, but go see "He's Just Not That Into You." It's adorable... even though the women ARE crazy...**

**_Let it slide, let it slide. I know it hurts when I say goodbye... _Gotta love that song. Joanna Pacitti (from American Idol) Let It Slide. Anyhoo, what do you think? Angry this story is going to end soon? Well, I'm giving you a sequel, aren't I? Lolz**

**--Lauren :D**


	16. Epilogue: Not Falling Apart

I sat at the kitchen table and listened to the careful drum of my fingers. It had been one month since the incident in San Fransisco. Jake and I were happily dating. Leah had recovered within two days from her broken ribs and ankle. Stephenie and Laurel were still in the newborn stage, but doing fairly well. Stephenie was able to change her voice to sound like anyone in the world. My favorite was Regis Philbin. Laurel, on the other hand, was able to move things with the point of her finger. The once large gaping hole in my family was slowly mending. My dad did find out about the night between Jake and me, but surprisingly, he was okay with it. My mom was more accepting of the fact that Jake and I were in fact an object.

I still hadn't heard from Ethan. He wasn't even at school anymore. All the teachers said he'd moved to Florida, though I knew he couldn't. My heart ached, something I never thought it would do. Everyday I stared at the empty seat next to me, hoping by some miracle he would come back. I couldn't help but wonder what could have been if I'd given him a chance. But I couldn't think about that. I loved Jacob, and that was all that mattered.

Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice had started Saturday morning ice skating. Indoors of course. They were perfect. The teachers watched enviously as they skated circles around them. I'd come a few times to watch, never daring to go anywhere near the rink.

Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, and my father had joined the school theatre club. They seemed like perfectly trained actors, delivering every line with deep emotion. Girls swooned as they walked down the halls---some even joined just to be that much closer to them.

My mom had taken a different approach, much like me. We both joined student paper. No need to use our feet, though I figured she would be able to handle it.

Stephenie and Laurel's parents believed they were studying at some fancy school in England, though they were really living with us now. We figured it was better than telling them they were dead. Maybe some day they would be able to see each other again.

Every night at dinner we debated where to move once Stephenie and Laurel were able to control themselves. After many days of discussing the pros and cons of Vancouver, Alaska, and New Hampshire, we had decided on moving back to Forks. Our cover story was already made up, and we were ready to go, end of the school year, of course.

My strange dreams came less and less often, to my dismay. I just wanted a sign from Ethan... but he never sent any. I began writing my dreams down in a small notebook I kept besides my bed every night, hoping to find some pattern. There never was one. Just weird, pointless ones. One night, I dreamt I was a seal at SeaWorld. Another night, I dreamt I was made of chocolate. No pattern ever occured, except stupidity.

My parents didn't let me go hunting anymore, though they didn't let me go that much in the first place. Now they made sure the fridge was stocked with lots and lots of deer blood, though my diet was beginning to become more human and less vampire. I still couldn't eat as much as Jake or Leah, but I began to find myself craving human food more than blood.

The terms "bloodsucker" and "mutt" were rarely used anymore between the pack and my family. Only when they were joking were they ever used. Respect had grown since we all began to depend on each other.

Tires pulled up on the brick drive. I raced to the door to see Jacob dressed in a black suit.

"Think it's a bit much?" he asked.

"I love it," I said, kissing him on the cheek. "Let me just get my purse."

I raced upstairs to my room. A small white piece of notebook paper flew off the side when I picked up my purse. I knelt to the ground and picked it up. "Renesmee," it read.

_I'm sorry. I can't bear this anymore. I just want you to know that I'm alright. You should know my love for you is as strong as it was a month ago. You make me a better person. I'm even trying your diet of animal blood. But I understand you love Jacob Black. And that's something I'll just have to accept. I love you, Nessie._

_--Ethan_

Tears began to flow from my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. Tucking the piece of paper safely away in my purse, I ran down the stairs.

"I'm ready," I said, though my voice sounded sad.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked, running towards me.

"Yeah," I lied. "I'm fine. Let's go."

The school gym was decorated with balloon arches and streamers. Flashing lights lit up the floor. My family twirled around gracefully on their feet. Homecoming. A dance I never wanted to go to. Jake held out his hands for me to take them.

"Jake," I said. "You know I can't dance."

"Trust me," he said. "I'll catch you if you fall."

I took his hands and he twirled me around. My short yellow dress swayed with the movement of our dance. He held me tightly against his chest. I smiled. There was no place I would rather be than right here, right now. Though there were probably many around us, I could see no one but him.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

I leaned into his warm chest as we danced the rest of the night away.

* * *

I watched her. Jealousy boiled inside of me as I saw him holding her so tightly. I shouldn't have come. She looked so happy. How badly I wanted to be him. Renesmee Cullen should be with me. She made me a better person. She didn't believe I was a monster. And I wasn't... because of her. I wanted to run up to her. I wanted to run my hands across her smooth, warm face. But I couldn't. She wasn't mine. I saw the reflection of my golden orbs in the windows. Her doing, not mine.

They looked so happy. I wanted that happiness. I could almost taste it... but it was ripped away from me before I had the chance. She had promised. But she had lied. Jacob whispered something into her ear. Her beautiful smile lit up her face as she said something back. I backed up and ran. I ran as far away as possible, leaving my ghost behind me.

_Danced all night, slept all day  
Careless with my heart again  
Fearless when it comes to playing games_

_You don't cry, you don't care  
Afraid to have a love affair  
Is that your ghost or are you really there?_

_Now I can't walk, I can't talk anymore  
Since you walked out the door  
And now I'm stuck living out that night again  
I'm not falling apart_

_Weather on a sunny day  
Time slows down; I wish you'd stay  
Pass me by in crowded, dark hallways_

_Try my hardest not to scream  
I find my heart is growing weak  
So leave your reasons on the bathroom sink_

_Now I can't walk, I can't talk anymore  
Since you walked out the door  
And now I'm stuck living out that night again  
I'm not falling apart_

_I heard you say you needed me now  
What's the problem I can't see  
You destroyed me, I won't fall apart again  
I'm not falling apart_

_Take what you wanted  
I will be just fine  
You will be better off alone at night  
Waiting and falling  
Constantly calling out your name  
Will it ever change?_

_Now I can't walk, I can't talk anymore  
Since you walked out the door  
And now I'm stuck living out that night again  
I'm not falling apart_

_I heard you say you needed me now  
What's the problem I can't see  
You destroyed me, I won't fall apart again  
I'm not falling apart..._

**Author's Note: The end :D Don't worry! First chapter of the next story will definitely be posted by next Friday. The preface may be posted today, since it's already been written. I just want to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers for supporting me through my first fanfic. You guys are the best :D And you guys supply me with so many ideas, I have to give you all credit. So THANK YOU! I know last chapter was sucky, but... idk. Lolz But thanks again, and I owe you guys big time!**

**Song by Maroon 5 above (Not Falling Apart) is my sign off song. Byee!**

**--Lauren :D**


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